Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, who just a month ago said he wanted to drastically change the state’s marijuana law, appears to have changed his mind. After meetings with resident marijuana enthusiasts, the Statehouse backed away from at least some of the proposed restrictions.
In November 2023, Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed House Bill 2, a modern law allowing adults 21 and older to smoke, vape and exploit pot. Individual Ohioans can grow up to six plants, 12 per household. From August 6, 2024, dispensaries can conduct recreational sales.
“It was a front-row seat to history on that August day,” said AJ Caraballo of Amplify Dispensary.
We were there with him when a recreational marijuana shop opened in Coventry. There has been a storm since he said it on Wednesday.
“It’s great to see new customers coming into the regulated market here in Ohio month after month,” he said.
He added that since launch, its store locations have had approximately 52,000 unique customers. As of January 11, adult sales exceeded $265 million.
But Caraballo has a problem. Smoke shops are stealing their customers – by offering delta-8 products that are not regulated or tested.
“People should look for the green DCC sticker on their dispensary doors to know they are entering a licensed facility with this safe, tested product,” he said.
Lawmakers are trying to ban or regulate delta-8, a low-potency marijuana sold in convenience stores. Huffman said this should be made a priority.
“I think all products containing THC should go through pharmacies,” he said Tuesday.
But Huffman’s (R-Lima) other ideas worry Caraballo and marijuana enthusiasts.
Huffman, who was president of the Senate until January, was not very positive about the passage of No. 2.
“There were some fundamental flaws in the initiative introduced and passed by voters — which tends to happen when there is no vetting on all sides,” Huffman said last month. “The bill passed by the Senate last December addresses many of these issues.”
In December 2023, the Ohio Senate passed a bill restricting marijuana. If signed into law, it would reduce the allowable THC content and raise costs. Among dozens of other restrictions and changes to what voters chose, it would ban the immense majority of vapes. It would also reduce home marijuana cultivation from 12 to six.
“Obviously the amount of home cultivation is far beyond the capacity of one or two people to grow it in their home… The only reason anyone would grow that much marijuana is to resell it,” Huffman stated, later alleging that a person growing 12 plants would likely participate in the “illegal market”.
However, he has backed down in recent weeks.
“It seems like people are talking a lot about home development,” Huffman said in early January. “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal when it comes to this.”
He also seemed more resigned on Tuesday.
“I don’t think anyone would realistically suggest that we’re going to repeal marijuana legalization,” Huffman said. “I’m not in favor of it. I also wasn’t a supporter of casinos coming to Ohio. But there are many things that are part of the Constitution and current law that I don’t like.
State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord), who blocked Huffman’s sweeping changes from passing the last General Assembly, said he is meeting with the speaker to assist educate him about the drug and current policies.
“He’s come a long way — he’s put in a lot of time and effort to learn the industry,” said Callender, a marijuana enthusiast and Statehouse weed expert. “We’re not exactly on the same page, but I think we’re close.”
With cautious optimism, the lawmaker explained that upcoming legislative changes will likely impact delta-8 and other unregulated hemp, as well as raise THC limits in medical marijuana to recreational levels.
He said he has helped many other Republicans deal with cannabis legalization.
“Even if they are personally opposed to the concept, they have accepted that it already exists, so they have shifted their focus from lockdown to ensuring safety,” he said.
We asked why he believed Huffman’s sudden change, which he attributes to education.
“He made an effort to learn about the industry and learn more about it, which I think he wasn’t happy about having to do,” Callender said. “But he realized that unlike the Senate, the House Republican caucus had a lot of members who wanted to defer to voters.”
However, Callender’s mentorship may remain the same – because Huffman apparently made a joke while referring to him.
The reporter jokingly asked whether Huffman needed to find out who in the Legislature had the most experience with THC in order to introduce the bill, that is, introduce it, advocate for it and be its face. Many reporters spoke up and said, “Jamie.”
“Whoever it is won’t pay the bill – there’s a lot of detail,” he said, referring to how stereotypical “stonemasons” seem to be broad. “It’s hard to remember.”
Callender thought it was humorous too.
“I talked to him again last weekend and I don’t think I’ll be the one to foot the bill, which makes sense because we weren’t on the same page all along,” he laughed. “I think we all need to work together on one bill and work to get it done to the best of our ability.”
Still, Caraballo and other dispensaries are urging lawmakers to follow the will of voters.
“Customers continue to learn that they have access to safe, legal products here in Ohio,” Caraballo said. “And any changes that create this confusion could be detrimental to the program.”
A modern marijuana policy will be proposed in the coming months.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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