LEBANON, Ohio (WXIX) – The City of Lebanon has formally opposed Ohio Senate Bill 56.
City leaders say the state is looking to take cannabis revenue money away from the community.
The bulk of SB 56 is dedicated to streamlining some of the bureaucracy in cannabis sales and promoting public safety.
The bill requires consistent testing and bans public smoking. It also moves all tax revenue to the state’s general fund.
“I think it was dishonest of them to try and take the funds and use them at the state level rather than use them in the communities,” Lebanon council member Kristen Eggers told FOX19 NOW Tuesday.
When Issue 2 passed, legalizing recreational cannabis, it was understood that 36% of the tax revenue would go to host communities.
Lebanon expected around 100,000 dollars from that.
“I don’t think we were expecting to see more than that, but that funds a police officer for us to put it in perspective,” City Manager Scott Brunka said.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Stephen Huffman, said in his testimony that they are also looking to raise the tax on cannabis from 10% to 15% because Ohio has one of the lowest cannabis tax rates in the country.
Another proponent, Ohio Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Rick Carfagna, testified that the current tax setup funnels a third of the revenue back into the industry.
“As council members, we want to make sure that any time we can keep tax dollars here and use them in our city, that’s what we do,” Eggers stated.
SB 56 is still in the State Senate Committee and has not yet been voted on.
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