Dayton Daily News take on the proposed changes
Increases to the excise tax rate and other changes to Ohio’s adult-use cannabis program are included in proposals in the Ohio General Assembly.
Ohioans passed Issue 2 in 2023, and Ohio’s recreational sales started in August 2024. Under state law, customers 21 and older can buy up to 2.5 ounces of recreational cannabis at licensed dispensaries or home-grow up to six plants per person and 12 plants per residence.
According to the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, as of Feb. 3, the state’s adult-use program has exceeded $300 million in total non-medical sales.
State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, recently proposed a bill that would increase the state’s 10% excise tax on all non-medical cannabis sales to 15%. Senate Bill 56 would also limit the number of home-grown cannabis plants a household could legally maintain, bringing down the total of 12 plants for a home with two adults to six plants total per household.
As a part of his state budget proposal, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has suggested doubling the state’s excise tax to 20%.
“There’s funding for county jails, there’s funding for police training, there’s funding for the 988 line, there’s funding for mental health, there’s funding for health,” said Kimberly Murnieks, DeWine’s Office of Budget Management director who worked closely with the governor to put the package together.
The Dayton region is home to more than a dozen dispensaries that are licensed to sell recreational cannabis.
