Ohio regulators filed a new set of proposed regulations to improve upon Ohio’s legalization marijuana law. The rules update the labeling and packaging standards.
Six proposals have been made by the Department of Cannabis Control under its Common Sense Initiative. This initiative is intended to eliminate excessive rules and regulations, which are preventing job creation.
A proposed regulation would have cannabis packaging display the “universal THC symbols” in order to inform consumers and the law enforcement of its THC content.
One rule would set limits on how much marijuana could be sold per container. DCC has also proposed requirements that must be met before cannabis can be sold commercially, for example, certain labeling and packaging standards.
A new rule prohibits “packaging that’s attractive to kids, misleading or false, offensive, contains a statement about health, encourages excessive consumption, intoxication or other prohibited activities.”
The rule states that “Cannabis products that are based on or look like cartoons, fictional characters, pop culture icons or characters from fiction whose audience is primarily children and youth” will be prohibited.
The proposed rule for single-served products states that “certain state requirements regarding testing, packaging and labeling for raw or infused single-serving units intended for customer direct sale” must be adhered to by licensed processors.
Commentary on the proposed rule is being accepted until October 13, 2013.
This proposal is coming weeks after the Ohio Department of Commerce reported that medical marijuana sales and adult use marijuana in Ohio had officially surpassed 3 billion dollars.
The state sold about $703 million in recreational cannabis in the law’s first year of implementation, according to DCC data.
The voters of November 2023 approved the ballot initiative that legalized adult-use cannabis. Legislators have been working to revise this law ever since. However, that’s been met with pushback and the legislature has so far been unable to reach consensus to meaningfully alter the law.
Last-minute disagreements between the House and Senate Republicans seemed to have derailed that plan.
The House Judiciary Committee, after taking public comments and implementing certain amendments to the Senate’s cannabis law, SB 56 (which was passed in June), ultimately refused to move the proposal forward as planned at an August hearing. This prevented the measure from being put to a vote on the floor.
Changes approved at a hearing late in May rolled back some of the strict limits included in a version of the measure passed by the Senate in February, including a criminal prohibition on sharing marijuana between adults on private property.
In March, a survey of 38 municipalities by the Ohio State University’s (OSU) Moritz College of Law found that local leaders were “unequivocally opposed” to earlier proposals that would have stripped the planned funding.
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Meanwhile in Ohio, adults as of June are able to buy more than double the amount of marijuana than they were under previous limits, with state officials determining that the market can sustainably supply both medical cannabis patients and adult consumers.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in March separately announced his desire to reallocate marijuana tax revenue to support police training, local jails and behavioral health services. DeWine said that funding police training would be a priority even if it wasn’t part of what the voters approved in 2023.
Ohio’s Senate president has also pushed back against criticism of the Senate bill, claiming the legislation does not disrespect the will of the electorate and would have little impact on products available in stores.
Separately, lawmakers are considering legislation to restrict intoxicating hemp products.
DeWine has repeatedly asked lawmakers to regulate or ban intoxicating hemp products such as delta-8 THC.
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