Cannabis Business Times
As Ohio prepares to commence adult-use cannabis sales via existing medical cannabis dispensaries as soon as next month, 47 localities representing roughly 9% of the state’s population have enacted cannabis moratoriums.
This comes six months after Ohioans voted with a 57.2% majority to legalize adult-use cannabis via Issue 2 in November’s election, making the Buckeye State the 24th in the nation to reform its laws for nonmedical consumers.
While the statutory measure paved way for adults 21 and older possess up to 2.5 ounces of flower (or 15 grams of extract) and to home cultivate up to six plants per person or 12 plants per houses beginning Dec. 7, 2023, a taxed and regulated retail market has yet to launch.
But as medical cannabis companies gear up to expand their operations for the broader consumer market, 47 Ohio localities have active moratoriums on adult-use cannabis operations in their jurisdictions as of March 31, 2024, according to the Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) within the Moritz College of Law.
“The moratoriums are generally brief and often describe the need to ensure ‘public peace, health, safety, and welfare of [the locality’s] citizens,’” according to the DEPC. “The moratoriums also often cite the need for time to review current ordinances and identify any conflicting laws with state laws legalizing marijuana, or to wait for lawmakers in the Ohio General Assembly to [potentially] revise Issue 2 before making any changes to their own code. Multiple jurisdictions have indicated an intent to actively study current law and create recommendations for their locality once the final state rules for the adult-use recreational industry are adopted.”
Editor’s note: Although Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and certain state lawmakers have called for enacting amendments to voter-approved Issue 2, there’s nothing that requires them to make any changes at all to the statutory measure.
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