Ohioans would pay more for inferior marijuana under Republicans rushed amendment
State Senator Bill DeMora ,D-Columbus, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District.
Senate Republicans just don’t seem to get it.
After failing twice already this year to thwart the will of the people of Ohio through a series of tricks, Republicans in the Ohio Senate are trying a third time.
An amendment to gut Issue 2, which established and regulates the adult use of marijuana, was dropped Sunday afternoon.
The proposed amendment will decimate what 57% of Ohio voters approved under Issue 2.
In committee yesterday, voters were told that they had three hours to submit testimony and only one hearing for public testimony would take place before the bill is voted out of committee.
More: Sneaky Ohio Republican senators disrespect voters with rushed marijuana amendment
Republican changes to Issue 2 being rushed because Ohioans don't want them
This whole process is being deliberately rushed to keep voters in the dark.
The Republicans in the Ohio Senate know their changes are unpopular with a large majority of voters.
A two-and-a-half-day process to eliminate what voters thought about for six months before voting to pass Issue 2 is typical of the majority of the Senate: they do whatever they want – voters be damned.
More: Ohio senators want to make major changes to marijuana law OK'd by voters, ax home grow
The changes proposed by Senate Republicans would ruin Issue 2’s very purpose.
The amendment eliminates home grow of marijuana, reduces the product’s potency, increases product fillers, and significantly raises taxes on consumers and producers alike.
The changes also ban any public smoking, even outdoors, and give most of the tax dollars to the General Assembly to spend on programs not approved by the voters as part of Issue 2.
Issue 2 allows for up to six plants to be grown for an adult with a household cap of 12 total plants.
The Republican amendment eliminates the option completely. The amendment also caps the THC content of products at a very low level.
The result will not be a safer product, but users taking more to achieve the same result.
Republican plan would make Ohioans pay more for marijuana than people in other states
Issue 2 set a 10% tax on marijuana products plus the existing state and local sales taxes. Issue 2 set tax rates the same as the state up north. Under the Republican plan, the tax jumps to 15% on consumers, plus existing sales taxes, plus a brand new tax on growers.
Ohio would have a noticeably higher tax rate than our neighbor to the north. We would end up with a higher tax rate than supposedly overtaxed Massachusetts.
Where money would go under Republican plan
Worse still, the tax money is diverted away from local governments and substance abuse programming and mostly shifted to the general revenue fund.
This will most likely be used by Republicans for tax cuts and school vouchers for rich people.
The money won’t do a thing to correct past marijuana-created injustices, fund schools or police, fix roads, or give treatment to people struggling with opioid and other serious substance abuse issues.
The Republicans in the Ohio Senate have signaled for the third time just this year that they do not respect the voters of Ohio.
They are moving swiftly and quietly to ruin a program that thrives in other states and has not even taken effect yet in Ohio.
State Senator Bill DeMora ,D-Columbus, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District, which encompasses areas of Franklin County, including Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, South Linden, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Ohio State University, and Northland.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rushed marijuana changes will have Ohioans pay more for weaker weed
