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Daily news alerts
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
5th December 2023
US - Ohio: A Senate committee has added and approved major changes to the recreational cannabis legalisation ballot initiative approved by voters last month that is scheduled to take effect on 7th December, press reports. The emergency measure was attached to a liquor control bill and would make the following changes, among others: prohibit home cultivation of cannabis, set potency limits on cannabis products, reduce the permissible amount of cannabis that may legally be possessed, increase the cannabis excise tax from 10% to 15%, redirect tax revenues, restrict public consumption, and decrease the permissible number of dispensaries. The bill must be approved by the plenary Senate, which could vote on it this week, and then by the House.8th November 2023
- US - Ohio: Ohio has become the 24th state to legalise recreational cannabis after voters passed a ballot initiative to do so, press reports. The initiative, which becomes effective in 30 days (7th December), allows adults (21+) to possess, purchase and cultivate up to six plants at home. A 10% sales tax will be levied on the purchase of recreational cannabis and advertising would be allowed, though regulators could later set certain restrictions. The initiative creates the Division of Cannabis Control within the Ohio Department of Commerce to oversee the programme and requires rules to be approved and licences to be issued within nine months of the effective date of the initiative, that is, by 7th September 2024.
7th November 2023
- US - Ohio: Voters will decide today (7th November) the fate of an initiative to legalise recreational cannabis in the state. If passed, recreational cannabis could be possessed, sold and used by adults (21+) in all major product formats. A 10% sales tax would be levied on the purchase of recreational cannabis and advertising would be allowed, though regulators could later set certain restrictions. With a population of over 11m people, Ohio is the seventh largest state in the US and would be the fourth-largest state to legalise recreational cannabis.
17th August 2023
- US - Ohio: The Ohio secretary of state has verified enough signatures for an initiative to legalise recreational cannabis in the state to reach the 7th November election ballot, press reports. If passed by voters, recreational cannabis could be possessed, sold and used by adults (21+) in all major product formats, and legislation would include licensing for cultivating, processing, dispensing and testing. A 10% sales tax would be levied on the purchase of recreational cannabis, and advertising would be allowed, though regulators could later set certain restrictions.
4th August 2023
- US - Ohio: Organisers of a November ballot initiative to legalise recreational cannabis in the state have submitted nearly ten times the amount of necessary signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot, press reports. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) fell short by 679 signatures after the first round of submissions, but has submitted approximately 6,500 additional signatures within the ten-day period that it had to submit more. If at least 679 signatures are validated, it would appear to be the last hurdle to reach the November ballot, though legalisation ballot initiatives are often challenged in court.
13th July 2023
US - Ohio: The State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) has voted to include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as a qualifying condition in the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP), expanding the total number of qualifying conditions to 26. The decision is effective immediately, allowing individuals with IBS to access medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes. However, the board rejected petitions to include autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as qualifying conditions in the programme.
6th July 2023
US - Ohio: The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) has submitted more than 220,000 signatures to qualify a recreational cannabis legalisation initiative for the state’s November ballot, following the legislature’s failure to act on the reform, press reports. Signatures of 124,046 registered voters must be validated for the measure to reach the ballot. The proposed initiative would legalise possession of up to 2.5 oz of cannabis for adults, allow personal cultivation of up to six plants per household, and establish a Division of Cannabis Control to regulate the industry. It also proposes a 10% sales tax, with revenue allocated to social equity programs, localities, education, and administrative costs. Municipalities can opt out, but existing medical cannabis businesses would have priority in the recreational market.
4th May 2023
- US - Ohio: State lawmakers failed to act on a proposal to legalise recreational cannabis before a statutory deadline, requiring advocates to resume signature-gathering. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol will now need to collect another round of signatures from registered voters before the 5th July deadline in order to secure a place on the November ballot, press reports.
30th November 2022
US - Ohio: State lawmakers are interested in passing medical cannabis reform, as committees in the state House of Representatives debate Senate Bill 261, press reports. SB 261 was passed by the Senate last December and would make major reforms to Ohio's medical cannabis programme by creating a new regulatory agency – the Division of Marijuana Control – increasing the number of medical cannabis dispensaries, and expanding qualifying conditions for doctors to prescribe cannabis for to include those “that the patient’s symptoms may reasonably be expected to be relieved from medical marijuana”. The legislative session ends at the end of December.
16th May 2022
- US - Ohio: A ballot initiative to legalise recreational cannabis in Ohio will not reach the November 2022 ballot but could reach the ballot in 2023 after organisers and lawmakers reached a settlement, press reports. Organisers of the initiative had filed a lawsuit after a dispute arose over whether signatures had been submitted on time in accordance with the state constitution. Under the agreement, the previously submitted 100,000+ signatures turned in can go toward 2023, so that if the legislature does not enact law to legalise cannabis by 3rd May 2023, then more signatures can be raised to reach the November 2023 ballot.
2nd May 2022
- US - Ohio: Organisers of a November ballot petition to legalise recreational cannabis in the state have filed a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that would allow their ballot petition to move forward despite a dispute over a signature deadline, press reports. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) turned in signatures to trigger legislative action on 20th December 2021, but the secretary of state's office deemed the signatures insufficient, so the CTRMLA turned in more signatures on 13th January 2022. The dispute arises because the law requires that the signatures be turned in at least ten days before the legislature convenes, which it did on 19th January.
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
Regulatory databases
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
