Welcome to thegreengold.org, the cannabis for everyone site, where we provide a judgment free zone to learn and talk all about cannabis. Yay! You did it Ohio voters! Recreational marijuana passes in Ohio! This is not medical or legal advice, and is written for educational purposes only.
Issue 2 passes in Ohio with a 57% majority vote. This is a big win for the people of Ohio. Especially, for those currently unable to access marijuana for medical reasons that do not fall on Ohio’s strict list of qualifying conditions. This is also good for those that currently cannot buy enough to fulfill their medical needs, due to the limitations of a medical prescription.
So it passed. What now? Does that mean its legal now? Can you buy it legally now? I will be answering these questions, and more as we move forward in this article.
Slow the marijuana train Ohio.
Issue 2 will take effect 30 days after election day. Therefore it is not legal for recreational use just yet. So, until then, unless you have a medical marijuana card, you cannot legally buy, possess, grow, or consume marijuana. Yes, you read that right.
Unfortunately you will have to wait for now. Until then, there are some alternatives that are already legal, and could help you until marijuana is completely legal in Ohio. These are products such as, CBD rich cannabis, also known as hemp.
There is regular hemp with just CBD. Then there are Delta 8 THC derived hemp or cannabis. This stuff is seen as low THC or legal THC. They also carry a lot of the other cannabinoids and terpenes that are known for the medical benefits of cannabis. To learn more about these types of cannabis, and where to find them, check out my earlier article, “Is Marijuana Legal In Ohio?“. That article also goes more in depth on issue 2 itself.
over the next month.
Over the next month you will not be able to buy marijuana unless you have a medical reason and card. So, what happens during the month while we wait for the law to take effect? Well, it goes back to the same legislatures that shut the initiative down earlier this year. Ohio then collected enough signatures on the issue to get it on the ballot for the November 7th general elections anyways.
The legislatures will take the bill and tweak it to their liking. This means a couple things on the bill could change. One of those things is to add more regulation to it, to help protect children.
This could also be bad news for people that would like to grow their own plants at home. Gov. Dewine and the legislature have shown concerns for this part of the legislation. They claim it is, agian, to protect the children, however Ohio is a heavily regulated state to begin with. So expect marijauana to begin as heavily regulated as well.
The tax could be as much as doubled. Which would take it from one of the lowest in the country to one of the highest. More than likely they will meet in the middle and we will end up around a 15% tax. That is just my speculation.
It could also affect the amounts Ohioans are allowed to possess. Currently the bill says 2.5 ounces of plant material, and up to 15 grams of concentrates. This would be abnormally high for a state that just legalized. When Connecticut legalized adult use last year, their limit was a Quarter ounce of Plant material. I think they started out at a higher limit, in hopes that the legislature doesn’t bring it down quite that low. Again more speculation on my part.
What does legal marijuana mean you can do?
I want to clear up some misconceptions about legal marijuana. I am going to be speaking generally. So, if you know of something different, please let me know in the comments below.
Generally speaking when marijuana becomes legal in a state, it does not mean that it becomes a marijuana free for all. In Ohio, for instance, their goal is to regulate and enforce marijuana like alcohol. This is true in some ways but not in others.
Like alcohol you cant just smoke anywhere anytime. Some people may not know this but it is illegal to walk down the street in Ohio, and most other states, with an open container of alcohol. There are exceptions to this rule in zones that the state has deemed, open container zones.
So, when the month has ended, it will still be illegal to walk down the street, and smoke marijuana at the same time. This means you must do it on your own property, or a place that some states call a lounge. A lounge is like the marijuana equivalent to a bar. If Ohio allows for such places, then you will be able to go to a lounge, and smoke just like you would drink at a bar.
When 30 days is over.
At the conclusion of the 30 day period after the bill has passed, marijauna will be completely legal for adult use in Ohio. You would think this means you’d be able to go to the dispensary, and you’d be able to buy and consume marijuana legally. However, we could be looking at a longer wait. Tom Haren said, “you are not going to have adult use products available until sometime between august and probably the end of next year.”
I know this is not good news. However, it will give everyone time to prepare. Be ready for a couple of things that you aren’t used to on the streets. The biggest difference is that you will need an up to date state issued ID to purchase marijuana.
Secondly, your weed will be taxed! So, don’t just take the sticker price amount of money to the dispensary with you. Check with the dispensary to see what the tax is before you go. Then, just add that to the sticker price, and you will know exactly how much cash you need. A lot of people selling on the streets now even have digital forms of payment. You are, more than likely, going to need cash at the dispensary.
For a little bit there, you were able to buy medical marijuana with a debit card in Ohio. However, the banks have tightened up their regulations right in time for adult use marijuana to be legalized. So, it’s best that you take cash with you.
Be careful what you do over the next 26 days or so until the law has gone fully into effect. You aren’t allowed to buy, possess or consume it until then. Unless of course you have a medical card. This also means you cannot grow it yet.
While you may want to get a head start on growing, I wouldn’t just yet. There is a lot of speculation around the personal plants part of the legislation. Some even believe that they will take that part out all together. This would keep it illegal to grow marijuana in your own home in Ohio. Don’t stress though, oftentimes marijuana legislation is tweaked yearly for the first several years it is legal. So, if not now, then it is more than likely just a matter of time.
Hopefully this helped.
There is definitely a lot going on in Ohio right now. So, hopefully I didn’t miss anything here. If there is anything that you would like to add or ask, please leave me a comment below! It is an exciting time for Ohioans! Especially, those that realize the benefits that this plant can have for humans!
To learn more about cannabis please feel free to read more of my articles and look for future articles at thegreengold.org.