*** CALL TO ACTION ***

*** CALL TO ACTION ***

Hello all. On Tuesday, June 24th, the Ohio House Judiciary Committee is planning on voting Sub. Senate Bill 56 out of committee. The hearing is at 10 AM. It is critical, and all should plan on attending.

The impacts of the proposed changes will reach far beyond cannabis policy. These actions will set an unconstitutional precedence that laws passed by the people can be overturned instead of implemented by the legislature. These actions clearly violate the people’s constitutional right to reform their government.

Article 11 Section 1(g)“ Laws may be passed to facilitate their operation, but in no way limiting or restricting either such provisions or the powers herein reserved.”

This bill will harm our local businesses already operating legally under the 2019 federal Farm bill. The bill discourages business, instead of being small business friendly. This bill mandates that federally legal hemp products be sold in cannabis dispensaries that have no federal legal status. This government overreach at its most extreme.

Sub. Senate Bill 56 is so drastically different from what the people voted for that it violates our right to citizens’ initiative process and to reform our government. Across our great Agricultural State, our local neighbors, friends and families, are subject to purchasing cannabis products from out of state and out of country owners limiting our choices and a free market. Our small business entrepreneurs are completely cut out of this billion dollar industry.

This bill will recriminalized cannabis. The legislature is changing the terms to criminal penalties. It allows for charges, including felony charges, for repeat offenses of violations. It restricts home grow to a persons residence, bans smoking in public places. It caps THC levels.

This bill takes away the money allocated for our cities, and puts it in the general fund where it can be used for law-enforcement tactics against cannabis users.

The Ohio legislature is currently withholding all of the adult use sales tax from our cities and they need to release it immediately! They are banking on passing this bill, which transfers the monies designated for communities back to the general fund.

Please contact your local rep and ask them to vote no on House Bill 56. Please email the house judiciary committee ohrjudiciarycommittee@ohiohouse.gov and call their members. 

Ohio citizens have recently formed the Ohio cannabis consumer coalition, we will use this coalition as a collective voice for legislative changes that benefit the people, not the monopoly. Our members include patient’s, adult use consumers, industry workers, small business owners, hemp and legacy farmers. Please send us a message if you would like to join.