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For Immediate Release
Contact: media@norml.org
Thursday Webinar: Hands Off Ohio’s Voter-Approved Marijuana Legalization Law
Representatives of state and national organizations will discuss the potential impacts of legislative efforts to undermine the will of Ohio voters and how residents can fight back
Columbus, OH – Fifty-seven percent of Ohioans approved Issue 2 in 2023, legalizing the possession and use of cannabis by adults. Recently, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation (SB 56 | HB 160) to significantly amend the law in a manner that is inconsistent with voters’ intentions. (SB 56 has passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House; HB 160 is awaiting its initial hearing.) Specifically, these bills seek to recriminalize activities that most Ohioans believe ought to be legal. They also seek to reallocate funding away from community reinvestment programs and municipalities.
WHAT: Webinar discussing legislative push to undermine legal marijuana in Ohio.
WHO: Representatives of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the ACLU of Ohio, and the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) will discuss proposed legislation repealing key provisions and consumer protections currently provided by the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law.
WHEN: 2pm ET on Thursday, March 13, 2025
WHERE: Discussion will be livestreamed on Youtube
WHY: Ohio lawmakers had years to craft legislation regulating the state’s adult use marijuana market. They chose not to do so, instead leaving the decision up to the electorate. Legislators do not have the right to play Monday morning quarterback now simply because most Ohioans voted in a way they disapprove of. Ohio’s existing marijuana laws are working as voters intended; the changes proposed by SB 56 and HB 160 are unnecessary and they are not in the best interest of Ohioans. Of particular concern, key provisions in this legislation recriminalize behaviors that most Ohioans believe should be legal, such as sharing of cannabis among adults or returning to Ohio with legally purchased marijuana products from other states.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Read NORML’s op-ed, Marijuana rights may go up in smoke – again, in The Columbus Dispatch.
Share NORML’s legislative action alerts opposing HB 160 and SB 56.
Share MPP’s action alert opposing SB 56.
Read MPP’s side-by-side analysis of SB 56 and HB 160.
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NORML advocates for changes in public policy so that the responsible possession and use of marijuana by adults is no longer subject to criminal penalties. NORML further advocates for a regulated commercial cannabis market so that activities involving the for-profit production and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products are safe, transparent, consumer-friendly, and are subject to state and/or local licensure. Finally, NORML advocates for additional changes in legal and regulatory policies so that those who use marijuana responsibly no longer face either social stigma or workplace discrimination, and so that those with past criminal records for marijuana-related violations have the opportunity to have their records automatically expunged.
Find out more at norml.org and read the NORML Fact Sheets on the most common misconceptions and myths regarding cannabis and cannabis policies.
“}]] Representatives of state and national organizations will discuss the potential impacts of legislative efforts to undermine the will of Ohio voters and how residents can fight back Read More
