COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the first bills looking to regulate recreational marijuana is now up for a hearing at the statehouse.

What You Need To Know

  • A bill seeking to further regulate recreational marijuana is up for a hearing at the statehouse

  • The tax rate would increase and number of plants allowed per household would decrease

  • Senate President Rob McColley, R-District 1, said they’re diverting the tax revenue into the general fund as a placeholder

Senate Bill 56 would increase the tax rate for purchases from 10 to 15% at the register. It also limits home grow, reducing the number of plants per household from 12 to 6.

Another measure would limit the number of dispensaries per owner to eight.

The legislation would not regulate hemp derivatives that target young people, but it does call for other guardrails including the outlawing of packaging and marketing appealing to children, State Sen. Kristina Roegner, R-District 25, said.

“Smoking cigarettes is legal in the state of Ohio, but we don’t want that to be marketed or in any way attractive to young children,” Roegner said. “So, that’s an example of how these guardrails would be the same.”

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-District 23, said she hasn’t seen the entire bill, but expungement was a big issue for the Democratic caucus, and they would want see that addressed.

At the hearing, proponents of the bill said they’ve included fines and penalties for people who may give false information of where they got it from.

Antonio said the money is an important part of this bill as well.

“Have concerns about money, all the money going to general fund,” Antonio said. “It’s not what the people voted on, so obviously there’s work that need to be done on that bill.”

The House is expected to introduce separate legislation regulating hemp products sold legally in stores, and that has been key priority for Gov. Mike DeWine.

Senate President Rob McColley, R-District 1, said they’re diverting the tax revenue into the general fund as a placeholder.

“We wanted to have a broader discussion as to what happens with the tax revenue,” McColley said. “We wanted to leave it open to some negotiations and some discussions with the House and the governor, and so I wouldn’t expect that the final product would be all GRF money from all of that. That’s what our caucus wants to do. Maybe that where we end up, and I’m not expecting that.”