Cannabis Law & Policy

Recent bills and ballot initiatives suggest that adult-use cannabis may be coming to Ohio in the near future.  However, with the State currently considering two separate paths towards legalization, the key question now seems just as much how as when. The first…

Ohio lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would legalize adult, or recreational, cannabis use in the Buckeye state. State Representative Casey Weinstein (D) and co-sponsor Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D) announced their intention to introduce the bill late last week. The…

As many are aware, the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp (cannabis with 0.3% THC or less) and hemp-derived products at the federal level by removing such products from the Controlled Substances Act (although individual states remain largely free to implement their own…

On April 19, 2021, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy voted unanimously to issue 73 new dispensary licenses, increasing the state’s current total from 57 to 130. The announcement comes in light of strong demand among state residents for product as well as…

On March 30, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Senate Bill 854-A, the “Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act,” making New York the 15th state to legalize recreational cannabis use. Under the Act, New Yorkers will be allowed to possess three ounces of cannabis…

During the Ohio Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee’s meeting last week, the Board of Pharmacy signified that it will reopen a second dispensary application process in the near future. The new application process, titled “Request for Applications for New Dispensaries (RFA II),” seeks…

While cannabis legalization is now a bipartisan issue and enjoys a majority of support in both parties, the issue has historically been framed as a Democrat policy. And now, with a Democratic President, House, and Senate, many observers are asking, “what’s next…

Industry insiders are likely aware that the 2018 Farm Bill amended federal statute to effectively authorize the hemp industry at the federal level by removing cannabis testing below 0.3% THC from the definition of “marihuana,” and redefining it as hemp.  However, they…

In the midst of national political drama in the past several weeks, you may not have noticed proposed federal legislation introduced last month by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The legislation is intended to help industrial hemp farmers in their efforts to comply…

Earlier today, The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill decriminalizing cannabis at the national level and implementing a sales tax on cannabis products sold throughout the U.S. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, otherwise known as the MORE Act, was…