First Ever Cannabis Legalization Bill To Be Submitted In Ohio State Legislature

Cannabis News Update July 19, 2021

** D: Today in cannabis news: Ohio state lawmakers prepare to present the first cannabis legalization bill in the history of the state legislature; the USDA requests White House approval to conduct a nationwide hemp survey; and a U.S. senator submits a federal bill seeking to protect those who lawfully manufacture cannabis extracts from being evicted.

** R: First up: Ohio state lawmakers are readying to introduce legislation that would legalize and tax cannabis statewide. This would be the first proposal in the legislature’s history to be presented that seeks recreational cannabis legalization and retail.

Rep. Casey Weinstein (D) and Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D) are co-sponsors of the bill. They have sent a co-sponsorship letter to their peers to drum up backing for it ahead of its official presentation.

“Ohioans and Americans are way out ahead on this issue, and the comfort level with first decriminalization and medical marijuana and then full legalization is just so far beyond where legislators are,” Weinstein told Marijuana Moment. “This is an effort to close that gap and catch up.”

Adults 21 years or older would be able to acquire a maximum of five ounces of cannabis and grow up to 12 plants for individual consumption under the proposal. It will also include measures for expunging past charges for cultivating and possessing activity that would be legalized as a result of the bill.

A ten percent excise tax on cannabis commerce would be levied, with money initially going to operational expenses and then being split between localities with one cannabis store at minimum (15%), counties with one cannabis store at minimum (15%), K-12 schools (35%), and infrastructure projects (35%).

** D: Next up: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has asked the White House for authorization to launch a poll of roughly 20,000 farmers in order to gather statistics on hemp cultivation.

The agency said in a statement submitted in the Federal Register that it plans to establish a yearly “Hemp Acreage and Production Survey,” and it’s seeking public input on if the initiative would be valuable and how to conduct it most efficiently to reduce impositions on participants.

It’s uncertain what data USDA will directly seek regarding hemp at this time, but the survey’s name suggests that it will aid the agency with familiarity on agricultural challenges that have arisen since the plant was legalized federally with the 2018 Farm Bill.

In January, USDA officials from President Joe Biden’s administration met with hemp sector shareholders for the first time to understand the industry’s challenges.

** R: Last up: U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has submitted a proposal to boost affordable housing in the United States, which contains a measure prohibiting landlords from trying to evict persons who have a permit to manufacture cannabis extracts. The wording is similar to that found in an iteration of the proposal presented by Sen. Merkley in the previous Congress that never progressed.

The bill includes a number of “just causes for eviction,” including inability to pay for rent or causing major damage of property. An additional reason for eviction included in the bill is the “manufacture of a cannabinoid extract… unless the tenant holds a license to manufacture the cannabinoid extract under Federal, State, or Tribal law.”

Yet, the proposal does not include any particular safeguards for other state-authorized cannabis activity, such as simple possession. Moreover, “the unlawful manufacture, delivery, or possession of a controlled substance” is cause for eviction, with no exception for state-authorized activity.

While proponents are expected to welcome the insertion of state-authorized safeguard provisions, eviction procedures are conducted at the state level, and hence some judges may adhere to state statute in eviction situations related to cannabis.

Furthermore, in relation to the manufacturing component, states rarely issue permits that authorize persons to manufacture cannabis extracts at home, so it’s uncertain how effective that regulation would be in reality if enacted.

** D: That was today’s buzz! Thanks for listening…for more cannabis news and insights from industry professionals, and a place to discuss these stories and others, visit TRICHOMES.com

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