GOP House Members Resist Rushed Senate Bill To Change Ohio's Voter-Approved Marijuana Law

The GOP-led Senate's race to change the newly enacted marijuana legalization law known as Issue 2, has hit a series of speed bumps in the House where legislators are in no hurry to change the original citizen-initiated statute. 

“From the day that it was passed, the urgency was not a part of the House’s considerations,” House Speaker Jason Stephens (R) told reporters Tuesday. “We can’t let the urgent get in the way of the important. It’s just such a big change in Ohio’s law, culture, all of these things, that we need to be deliberative about it and we want to be respectful.” 

The Senate, urged on by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Senate leader Matt Huffman, pushed to finalize its own marijuana proposal last week. 

Stephens stressed that the House would take into account concerns raised by DeWine and the Senate, but that lawmakers should also respect the will of the voters. When asked if the Senate was doing that, he stopped short of saying that it wasn't. “Well, we’re not going to concur on it, so…” he said, per the Dayton Daily News. The outlet added that the House is playing its cards close to its chest in terms of points of disagreement with the Senate’s proposal.

Taxes And Who Benefits From Them Are An Issue

Stephens told reporters that there’s “a little bit of difference” between the two chambers regarding whether local or state government should have more control over tax revenue. Issue 2 generally sought to give more power to locals, while the GOP Senate is in favor of keeping tax money for the state. Stephens said he’s “a local government kind of guy.”

Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) told reporters on Tuesday that she was concerned in general about the tax rate being too high. The Senate suggested raising the cannabis tax rate from the original 10% to 15% with the lion's share going to law enforcement rather than social equity efforts, also in the original Issue 2.

“We want to make sure that the tax rate is not so high that … we’re sending people across state lines, or … that we’re just incentivizing the black market,” Russo told the outlet. “I think there’s a sweet spot there that’s probably slightly higher than what it was in the initiative.”

Then there are those who don’t see any reason to change anything in the original Issue 2 initiative.

“People didn’t vote for over 70% of our tax revenue to go to law enforcement and four different specialty funds. People didn’t vote for higher taxes that are going to weigh down our cultivators and send people back to Michigan,” cannabis advocate Saraquoia Bryant testified in the committee. 

With no House vote set for Wednesday, the legislature is not likely to agree on Issue 2 reform before lawmakers recess until mid-to-late January.

Photo: House Speaker Jason Stephens, courtesy of Ohio House