GOP Lawmakers Still Haggling Over Ohio's Voter-Approved Cannabis Law, Medical Marijuana Fees Slashed To A Penny

As of March 4, Ohio's annual registration fees for patients and caregivers now cost just one cent, down from $50 and $25 respectively. The kind gesture comes as Ohio limps toward implementing its November 2023 voter-approved cannabis law.

The Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), which called the one-cent fee a temporary measure, admittedly has bigger fish to fry, like getting the state’s legal weed program up and running.

The rollout of adult-use marijuana sales is in a frustrating cycle of legal delays. The latest DCC plan is looking at September though Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and like-minded lawmakers want to expedite the process by allowing existing medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling to adult consumers far sooner. Sounds good on paper but political tensions have kept the issue in a tight grip.  

What's The Problem?

Within a week after the Nov. election when 57% of Ohioans voted to legalize adult-use cannabis, the GOP-led Senate and Gov. DeWine began immediately to change the initiative, known as Issue 2, by creating their very own legalization bill. When the GOP-heavy House of Representatives came back after the Christmas break and did not accept the Senate's proposed bill, the entire process ground to a halt.

The Senate bill, which bill made substantial changes to Issue 2, has yet to be taken up by the House, which is exploring its own alternative proposals. And so it goes.

Meanwhile, Towns Are Opting-Out Of Cannabis Sales

Towns and municipalities are voting to ban cannabis sales within their city limits, some for months and others forever.

Regardless of the local bans popping up just about all over the state, Ohio’s existing dispensary operators seem to be optimistic.

"There is a pattern of communities opting out at the beginning just because it’s uncertain and they don’t know what to expect," said Jason Erkes, chief communications officer for Cresco Labs CRLBF, which operates several dispensaries in Ohio as well as a growth facility in Yellow Springs. They'll come around, he told Ohio's IdeaStream Public Media.

"When they see that there is no change whatsoever, and the community right next door that embraced it has all this tax revenue coming in and they’re able to buy new computers, new fire trucks, put in new parks and playgrounds, they’re like, ‘Hey, wait a minute, we want some of that tax revenue, too.' And they’re quickly changing their minds," Erkes said.

Still, it'll be a while before weed sales begin for adults in Ohio. Unless the political parties act, the DCC has said it will not begin issuing permits for recreational marijuana sales until at least September.

Meanwhile, many Ohioans say they’re wondering what the problem was with the original voter-approved proposal, which was meant to go into effect on Dec. 7 — a month after the election.

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Photo courtesy of Maureen Meehan