Republican proposes legalizing marijuana
Would make allowance for recreational use
COLUMBUS - Ohio lawmakers soon will have a second marijuana legalization proposal in front of them, and this one will come from a Republican.
The forthcoming bill, sponsored by Concord Republican Rep. Jamie Callender, is similar to other proposals in that it would build on the state’s existing medical marijuana program.
Current medical marijuana cultivators, processors and dispensary owners would be allowed to operate on the recreational side, Callender said in an interview. Adults age 21 and older could buy, possess and grow marijuana.
The bill also would provide a way for Ohioans convicted of marijuana crimes eliminated in the bill to have their records sealed or expunged.
“As a society, we’ve reached a point where it’s not the taboo thing it used to be,” Callender said.
Callender says “three or four” Republicans support his bill, but legislative leaders and Gov. Mike Dewine do not. Callender said he got a “diplomatic” response from House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-lima. Senate President Matt Huffman, R-lima, said recently he’s opposed to legalization.
“I was opposed to it when it was on the ballot,” Huffman told USA TODAY Network Ohio in August, referring to an unsuccessful 2015 constitutional amendment. “I am opposed to it now.”
Yet Callender thinks now is a better time than ever before for a bill to pass. A pair of Democrats introduced a legalization bill over the summer. And an industry-backed proposal could be on the ballot next year.
In Callender’s plan, sales tax would be applied to recreational marijuana
sales, with half of proceeds going to the state’s general revenue fund and the other half split between law enforcement and mental health and addiction treatment. Ohio adults could grow a small number of marijuana plants at home. Callender hasn’t settled on a number, but he’s leaning toward three.
Similar to the other two proposals, Callender’s bill would give oversight of the new industry to the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Callender plans to unveil more details about the bill at 3 p.m. Tuesday. This story will be updated. Jackie Borchardt is the bureau chief for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.