COLUMBUS, Ohio —
During the November election, Ohioans voted to legalize marijuana, making Ohio the 24th state to do so – that new law takes effect on Dec. 7.
Here’s what you may need to know about the new law and what it entails:
What can you begin doing on Thursday?
Ohioans 21 years and older can legally consume or possess cannabis on and after Dec. 7. It legalizes 2.5 ounces of adult-use cannabis and 15 grams of extract. A 10% tax will be imposed on purchases.
People may also grow up to six plants for personal use, with a limit of 12 plants per household.
When will we start seeing dispensaries?
There won’t be licensed dispensaries for months as the Department of Commerce creates rules and regulations around licensing.
“There will not be any place for Ohioans to purchase legal marijuana in a licensed dispensary because the dispensaries won't be licensed for six to nine months depending on how quickly the Department of Commerce will move," said Jana Hrdinova, who is the administrative director of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University.
There have been some questions about the dispensaries. Will they be safe? Will they be vetted? The law, as written, carves out priority for the state’s current medical dispensaries.
“In the initiative, anybody who is currently licensed as a medical marijuana licensee will get a preference for submitting their application through the Department of Commerce within six months of the passage," Hrdinova said.
After the passage of the issue, Gov. DeWine and other state officials said regulations would need to be put in place to protect members of the public.
DeWine said he asked the legislature to focus on three goals: make sure children are protected from advertising, limit accidental exposure through edibles and protect people on the roads against those who might drive high.
What does marijuana legalization mean for employers in Ohio?
Even though the law will take effect on Dec. 7, there aren’t protections for Ohio employees using marijuana.
"There are no protections for employment. An employer can still set their own policy on drug use. If an employer decides to have a drug-free environment, they can do so and a person can be fired for that. The same for landlords,” said Hrdinova.
The ballot’s language clearly states: "An employer is not required to accommodate an employee's use, possession, or distribution of adult use of cannabis."
Can people drive while high in Ohio?
There are other topics the law does not address or protect, such as driving while high. Impaired driving laws are still applicable to marijuana and a driver can be charged.
What will possible regulations and changes to the law look like?
Ohio’s recreational marijuana law could change before it goes into effect if the General Assembly works fast enough. Some lawmakers have signaled they want changes to the law or want to attempt to overturn it entirely.
RELATED: Ohio Republicans propose nixing home grow, increasing taxes in sweeping changes to legal marijuana
Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance's tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month.
If they clear the Senate floor, the Republican-majority House, which leans more in favor of overall recreational marijuana legalization than the Senate, would still have to agree to the many changes. GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who has supported going along with at least the basics approved by voters, also must sign off on them.
Senate changes would prohibit growing marijuana at home, a departure from provisions approved by voters that allow individual Ohioans to grow up to six plants at home and up to 12 per household. The Senate's proposal also would increase the approved tax on marijuana products of 10% to 15%. Cultivators would also be taxed at that rate under the revisions.
Senate legislation would also reduce the amount of recreational marijuana someone can legally possess at a time, as well as lower the legal THC levels for marijuana plants, from the statute's original 90% to 50%, and the levels for extracts, from the original 35% to 25%.
GOP senators also proposed several efforts to protect children from consuming or being exposed to marijuana use — a priority for the governor. Under the new measure, marijuana products would have to be sold in child-safe packaging and could not resemble any animals, fruit or fictional characters such as those from cartoons.
Advertisers would also be banned from utilizing any media or pop culture figures whose target audience is children to sell marijuana products, and dispensaries could not exist within 500 feet (152 meters) of a school, church, public library or public park.
