Cannabis Law & Policy

A new Republican-led cannabis legalization bill is making its way through Congress and is emerging as one of the best chances yet for federal legalization. Representative Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) recently introduced ‘States Reform Act’ would deschedule cannabis federally and establish a new regulatory framework to treat cannabis like alcohol. Other key aspects of the proposal include: A 3.75% excise tax [...]

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 path contemplates legalization through traditional legislative means, via a bill introduced by Democratic lawmakers in July.  The bill [...]

On January 16, 2019, Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program formally launched with the official opening of the first dispensaries in Wintersville, Canton, and Sandusky. Years in the making, Ohio’s program provides alternative medical treatment to qualifying patients but also raises serious questions for employers on how to deal with employees who qualify for use. Conflicting federal and state laws, as [...]

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 bill would mark the first time a proposal to allow adult-use cannabis has been introduced in the Ohio [...]

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 prohibitions). One of the major hemp-derived products in commerce today is CBD, which has achieved remarkable growth in [...]

Ohio has quietly approved three new qualifying conditions allowing patients to obtain medical cannabis in the Buckeye State. In a memo issued two weeks ago, the State Medical Board confirmed that arthritis, chronic migraines, and complex regional pain syndrome were conditions already encompassed by the existing qualification of pain that is either chronic or intractable. The memo has not yet [...]

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 significant growth in patient population since the inception of the state’s program in late 2018. Initially, state officials [...]

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline for applications to grow industrial hemp from April 9th to May 28th. The change comes in light of multiple requests from hemp farmers to push back the deadline due to difficulty in sourcing land and seeds necessary to plant a spring crop. All individuals submitting an application may find a detailed [...]

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 and are permitted to grow up to three mature plants at home with a limit of six per [...]