COLUMBUS— State Reps. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) and Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) yesterday held a virtual informational town hall for interested parties and Ohioans to learn more about House Bill (HB) 382, their bill to legalize cannabis in Ohio.
HB 382 would:
- Allow for adult cultivation and possession of marijuana;
- Allow for the expungement of conviction records for previous cultivation and possession offenses;
- Levy an excise tax of 10 percent on a marijuana retailer’s or microbusiness’s gross receipts from the sale of marijuana.
- Excise tax revenue would be distributed in part to primary and secondary (K-12) education, for the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, and up to $20 million annually for two years would be used for clinical trials researching the efficacy of marijuana in treating the medical conditions of veterans and preventing veteran suicide.
“There are a lot of folks with a stake in legalizing cannabis in Ohio, and we’re excited to add some more context and bring awareness to this issue,” said Rep. Weinstein.
“We hope this will be the first of many discussions across the state to make people more open to the many benefits this legislation could bring to Ohio,” said Rep. Upchurch.
Panelists for this event included Tim Young, Ohio Public Defender; Geoff Korff, Founder of Galenas; Robert Kowalski, Founder of Veterans Ending the Stigma; and Rob Moore, Principal with Scioto Analysis. Reps. Weinstein and Upchurch kicked off the event by having panelists “myth-bust” common cannabis-related concerns, such as whether cannabis use leads to more violent crime or if recreational cannabis is bad for business. Tim Young noted that after nearly 30 years as a public defender, he has never handled a case that involved both violence and marijuana use. Geoff Korff noted that the cannabis industry in Ohio currently employs approximately 4,000 workers, and in an adult-use, recreation market, he estimates that could easily increase by a factor of ten.
More than 70 attendees tuned in to learn more and ask questions. Audience members were particularly interested in how the bill related to home cultivation and the effects on the current Ohio medical marijuana program. HB 382 would allow adults to cultivate up to 12 plants and would not affect the current state medical cannabis program.
Watch the full recording of the Zoom webinar HERE.
