Three Ohio House lawmakers said Wednesday the chamber is close to consensus on changes to cannabis law, which are poised to pass before the legislature breaks for the summer.
The newest version of Senate Bill 56—modifying state marijuana laws—still puts limits on how potent THC products can be. Amendments rolled out Wednesday morning, however, would permit Ohioans to share products. And although SB 56 limits consumers to partaking at private homes, the public smoking ban now has one notable exception: certain outdoor concerts.
“Hypothetically, I’ve seen people pass a marijuana cigarette at a concert,” state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) said in an interview Wednesday. “Those people are not criminals and shouldn’t be considered criminals, and so that, to me, was a huge thing. If you go to a Grateful Dead concert, you shouldn’t have to look over your shoulder when you’re passing a joint.”
Callender, a longtime legalization advocate, said he is closer to getting behind the changes in SB 56, which he believes “is absolutely the best that we have seen in the 18 months we’ve been trading jabs at each other.”
A spokesperson for the Ohio Cannabis Coalition wrote in an email the industry association was “encouraged by the direction (SB 56) takes.”
Lawmakers have gone back and forth over modifying the recreational marijuana law since it became legal for Ohioans 21 and older in December 2023. State Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said House and Senate negotiations have regained momentum.
“Whether that’s having a product that comes out of the House that the Senate feels like they can concur on, or whether that’s something that maybe there’s a few outstanding items that they can’t concur on and we do a short conference committee, I think either way, we’re on track to get this done,” Stewart said in an interview Wednesday.
SB 56 still restructures what’s known as the Host Community Cannabis Fund, set aside for municipalities with marijuana dispensaries. At 36%, more than a third of tax revenue from the state’s relatively young recreational program was earmarked for the fund. This would pare it back to 25%, and then eliminate it after seven years.
Lawmakers on the House Judiciary committee also folded Senate Bill 86 into SB 56, which strictly limits where Ohioans can purchase most products containing cannabinoid derivatives, like delta-8 THC.
Those added provisions would put intoxicating products behind dispensaries’ counters, if the products have undergone testing, and bans sale of them otherwise. It carves out CBD-infused drinks, allowing retailers with a liquor license to sell them.
The Senate Judiciary committee could vote as soon as next week.
