DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Ohio Republicans propose nixing home grow, increasing taxes in sweeping changes to legal marijuana

I know there have been threads in the everything else forum over Ohio marijuana laws but this is obviously a political move to obstruct the will of Ohio voters....

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance’s tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month.

The changes emerged suddenly in committee just days before the new law is set to take effect, though their fate in the full Senate and the GOP-led House is still unclear.

The ballot measure, dubbed Issue 2, passed on the Nov. 7 election with 57% of the vote and it set to become law this Thursday, making Ohio the 24th state to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. But as a citizen-initiated statute, the Legislature is free to make tweaks on it, of which they’re attempting plenty.

“The goal of this committee is to provide the people’s wishes with a safe product,” Sen. Michael Rulli, a Columbiana County Republican, said during a meeting of the Senate General Government Committee, where the changes were tacked onto an unrelated alcohol regulation bill.

Tom Haren, a spokesperson for the pro-Issue 2 campaign Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, harshly criticized the Senate rewrite.

“Some in the Ohio Senate propose to gut Issue 2’s most important provisions, including home grow and social equity, and to put in place higher taxes that will entrench the illicit market and force Ohioans to continue to buy their cannabis products in Michigan,” he said in a statement. “This is not what voters wanted.”

The Senate changes still have a long way to go, however.

If they clear the Senate floor, the Republican-majority House, which leans more in favor of overall recreational marijuana legalization than the Senate, would still have to agree to the many changes. GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who has supported going along with at least the basics approved by voters, also must sign off on them.

Senate changes would prohibit growing marijuana at home, a departure from provisions approved by voters that allow individual Ohioans to grow up to six plants at home and up to 12 per household.

The Senate’s proposal also would increase the approved tax on marijuana products of 10% to 15%. Cultivators would also be taxed at that rate under the revisions.

Tax revenue would go toward general state funding, law enforcement training, substance abuse treatment and prevention and safe driving training. Under the original statute, that revenue would have gone to local governments hosting dispensaries and a social equity program supporting those who wish to break into the cannabis industry.

The elimination is meant to keep most of the tax revenue from simply going back to the industry rather than benefitting state, according to northern Ohio Republican Sen. Rob McColley.

Senate legislation would also reduce the amount of recreational marijuana someone can legally possess at a time, as well as lower the legal THC levels for marijuana plants, from the statute’s original 90% to 50%, and the levels for extracts, from the original 35% to 25%.

GOP senators also proposed several efforts to protect children from consuming or being exposed to marijuana use — a priority for the governor. Under the new measure, marijuana products would have to be sold in child-safe packaging and could not resemble any animals, fruit or fictional characters such as those from cartoons.

Advertisers would also be banned from utilizing any media or pop culture figures whose target audience is children to sell marijuana products, and dispensaries could not exist within 500 feet (152 meters) of a school, church, public library or public park.

The changes also address what opponents to Issue 2 said were “ambiguous” rules around public consumption. Non-smoking products such as edibles could be consumed publicly unless prohibited by a private establishment, but any smoking or vaping of the drug would be banned unless inside an individual’s home. However, landlords could still ban tenants from smoking.

Employers would also be able to set their own rules for their employee’s cannabis use and testing and can fire them for use without worrying about violating discrimination laws.

Scott Milburn, a spokesperson for the anti-Issue 2 campaign Protect Ohio Workers and Families, said in a statement that the changes make the measure “less dangerous to Ohioans and less self-serving to the industry.”

State Sen. Bill DeMora, a Columbus Democrat, slammed the changes as ignoring the will of the voters — especially the elimination of home growing, diverting tax revenue intended for local governments and lowering the THC levels.

“The voters’ intent is nowhere to be found in what I call a shell of what the voters passed,” DeMora said Monday during committee.

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-mar...9MY8t5UnD3fWmsou5adLtacPFUsG0ZXY3yVrea_c

SmAlL gOvErNmEnT!!!!!

FrEe EnTeRpRiSe!!!!!!

On a serious note, I have often debated with myself on the pros and cons of legalization, but when the people pass a law to legalize something, it's a pretty bad look to then pass a bill to supersede the will of the constituents. They're following the Rick Santorum school of thought I guess.

It’s why they want to end democracy. Pesky voters don’t need a say in the new Y’alliban regime.

Ohio’s GOPer led government is about to go through the find out stage if they keep fn around with the will of the people. Elections are held every year, and legal weed and abortion rights are hills the people of Ohio are willing to die on. And if they pull some christo-fascist BS with this bill, they might face pitchforks and torches…

I'm surprised it took them this long to start screwing it up.

I's what you should expect when these people are put in charge.

I REALLY hope I'm not wrong, but I feel like this has already started. You tend to only hear from the deep-red portions of Ohio between elections, but the state has handed the GOP 2 massive L's lately (Issue 1 round 1, and then the latest election with Issues 1 and 2). In each of these, it was a 55%-57% vote against the GOP's clear position. You all know that that is not a close result. The response was clear.
The anti-Gerrymandering stuff was resoundingly approved a couple years ago, but the GOP has been able to slither their way out of properly implementing and ran out the clock. Now the people are getting ready to fight that battle again. Meanwhile, you have these 3 Issues that have come through recently and another anti-gerrymandering measure that should receive even more public support than the previous one. Ohio voters, despite being described as more and more Red and voting for Trump twice, are seemingly getting fed up with their GOP and voting as such.

I see it as a sign that many of them are more moderate Republicans than MAGA Republicans. That's the only way I can explain them helping elect Republicans while at the same time voting against some of their more extreme viewpoints.

Ohio Republicans Drop Last-Minute Effort To Derail Voter-Approved Pot Legalization

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ohio-republicans-drop-last-minute-174042154.html

Don’t even know why they bothered trying in the first place. It’s like they’re trying to go out of their way to be hated by Buckeyes.

Yep, the backed down because we’re watching. But they still intend to diminish the will of the people to fit their beliefs. Cowards will wait until the middle of the night on a holiday to do their snakey crap.

everyone went after them including their own party. (which they should)

I expect crap from both sides and they never disappoint.

False equivalency. Elephant crap is not comparable to donkey crap.

So you're saying both sides would be going after your social security benefits? Both sides would be trying to limit the will of the voters on the weed laws? Both sides would have implemented extreme abortion laws with no exception for rape and incest? Generalities won't help you when the people who you supported take away so very much from you.

The people I supported??????? Tell me bro just who did I vote for the last 8 years in all elections?

Both taste like crap are you going to claim that's false?

I know you voted anti abortion which are the exact same people who want to do the things I listed. They have even taken that to extremes you don't like. But you were warned about that.

Abortion was my deciding factor in ONE election and I said that at the time and have repeated myself over and over around here, Yet you and others for some crazy unexplained reason act light I have voted straight republican all my life.

And as I said, they even took that to extremes you don't like.

What they are essentially saying is, our votes don't count...

It's the volume of crap that makes the difference.

and the left would also have taken it to extremes I don't like. THAT is the entire problem. Both sides act like spoiled 3 year olds, and many posters around here do the same.

As for me I don't want to eat either pile of crap.

Exactly what they said on Jan 6th. And their fearful leader out on bail is still saying it. Goper’s pffft.

Lol … the biggest pile of crap is over there on the right. trump. You voted for him once. So what else would anyone expect but another vote for the biggest POS this country has ever had as a president?

There is nothing BUT piles of crap running this time. I watched my first Republican debate the other night and None of the four candidates deserve to win, and neither do the Dems candidates. That's what ticks me off We are left with nothing but crappy choices from both sides.

So you knew Republicans would take this too far going in and decided that the one's on the right who would take this too far and want to attack your Social Security and the party who wants to take your weed rights away were the best choice? The only part of a three year old tantrum I see in our back and forth is the part in bold above.

Maybe. Although those on the right are choosing the biggest turd of them all again. Sooooo the overall choice is easy. Everyone has to eat crap in the overall outcome according to you. So it comes down to how much crap do you want to eat right?

Man bro your spin is getting wobbly. You need a lot more practice.

https://media3.giphy.com/media/9UqRcQHzBou6A/giphy.gif

I don't know about the law/proposed law, but I would think home grown should be illegal.

You can't just set up a still in the backyard to make moonshine.

That’s true, but you can home brew and make wine

I think one of the differences with distillation is that it can provide a very dangerous product (read methanol) if it’s not done correctly. All that vs growing plants.

That being said, you won’t see me doing it anytime soon and I can’t imagine most HOAs approving.

But beer and wine is fine. 05 pointed out the biggest difference. Done the wrong way, home distilled liquor can kill people. Growing weed can't.

First you threw the tantrum and now you come back with a spinning top? There was no spin in my response. You just don't have a legitimate answer.

I believe you can. You just can’t sell it.

They’ve legalized home growing in Oregon. The only real effect is it’s killed the black market. There’s such a glut of cannabis in Oregon most of my buddies that grow throw away ounces and ounces of last year’s flower every year when they harvest their new crop. You typically can’t give away enough throughout the year to go through all you’re able to produce from a well run grow. Especially when many of your other buddies are producing their own. My buddies throw strain swap parties so they can share each others strains and not have to smoke the same four all year. (We can only grow four mature plants per household in Oregon.)
There’s rules for outdoor growing such as they need to be grown in a private yard, aka a privacy fence. You can only have four mature plants. Ridiculously, once harvested, you’re only supposed to possess some absurdly small amount at a time… which I can’t recall the exact weight… but I can recall it was so low that, done right, one nice plant can produce that weight. That’s not really enforced as they’d have to have a reason to enter a home and weigh their stash. If Ohio has a 12 plant limit (I thought I read)… dear God the amount of thrown out/composted cannabis each year in Ohio will be staggering. LOL

Ohioans, grow it. Harvest it. Share it. Smoke it. Enjoy the liberty of self reliance.

Did I vote for Trump when he ran a second time?

I know right? We’re only allowed six in Colorado.

Maybe.

Is it 12 per household per year or grow cycle? How can they tell you grew 12 in a previous harvest without checking your stash? And how many inside grow cycles could you complete per year? Hmmm.

You can do 3-4 indoor harvests a year.

Don't ask me. I live in Tennessee. Hell will freeze over before anyone can legally grow weed here.