Cannabis News of Note for the Week:
Politico Pro Cannabis (11/10): Mixed Reactions to Legalization from Ohioans on the Hill (paywalled newsletter, full text below)
MJ Biz Daily: Big investors keener on cannabis MSOs as rescheduling looms, survey shows
Missoula Current: MISSOULA POT DISPENSARIES BACK DAINES’ SAFER BANKING BILL
Cannabis Reports of Note for the Week:
Congressional Research Service: Recreational Marijuana and Economic Development
Gallup: Grassroots Support for Legalizing Marijuana Hits Record 70%
Politico Pro Cannabis (11/10): MIXED REACTIONS TO LEGALIZATION FROM OHIOANS ON THE HILL
Ohio lawmakers had mixed reactions to the strong show of approval Ohioans gave cannabis legalization on Tuesday.
“I’m not a fan of recreational marijuana,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) told Natalie on Wednesday outside Senate votes. “I think that where you’ve seen that legalized you see youth usage rates go up, you see traffic fatalities go up. So, not happy about it.”
Vance, who voted against the measure, is a member of the Senate Banking Committee. He voted against the cannabis banking bill earlier this year when it progressed out of that committee. He added that he is open to switching his vote to “yes” for the bill on the Senate floor if Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) work out a way to close what some senators say is a loophole that will make money laundering for the illicit fentanyl market easier.
“I don’t have a super ideological or philosophical approach to [cannabis],” Vance said. “I just think you have to take these things issue by issue.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) — the chair of the Senate Banking Committee — was also not without concerns.
“I’ve talked to toxicologists [who’ve] seen too many kids in emergency rooms from exposure to marijuana,” said Brown — who added he voted in favor of the measure. “We have to make sure that it’s packaged properly and safely.”
The most singularly positive reaction came from Congressman Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), whose district solidly approved the measure (all five counties voted in favor).
“The federal government must not only respect the will of our state and its voters, but support it,” Joyce said in a statement to POLITICO. “I will continue to center this work around reversing the harms to those who have been unjustly impacted by a near century long prohibition and increasing public safety — which remains inextricably linked to efficient and effective regulations.”
While voters decisively approved the legalization measure, the fight over the future of regulated weed in Ohio has just begun. Legislative leaders are already talking about potential amendments as advocates gear up to defend certain provisions.