COLUMBUS, Ohio — As of Tuesday, you could walk into a dispensary anywhere in the state and legally buy marijuana, if you are 21 and older.
Voters passed Issue 2 last November, which means a big change in culture and laws.
From a legal standpoint, it is a big change, which is why officers hit the classrooms to learn how they should enforce the new recreational marijuana laws.
For more than 31 years, Bob Meader worked for the Columbus Division of Police.
He retired two years ago as commander and now teaches officers how to enforce laws.
“Walk them through what the case law says, what statutes say and how to apply it in real time, which is very difficult,” Meader explained.
That means explaining what is and isn't legal for recreation use marijuana to officers and how they should do their jobs.
“Some of the most challenging parts of the statute is where it conflicts with itself and what is the enforcement aspect of that and what does the future hold when cannabis has been unlawful our whole lives. Now some of it's not unlawful, but some of it remains unlawful,” Meader said.
Meader explains as the law is written, there are many vague areas, or areas that conflict with one another.
“You cannot have more than two and a half ounces of cannabis or 15 grams of adult-use extract in a motor vehicle. In another part of the statute it, says that I can be a cannabis philanthropist and give away up to six plants, but six plants is more than 2.5 ounces, which is one of the places where the law conflicts,” he explained.
He says he has studied other states that have legalized recreational use and asked about the issues stemming from the new law.
“We are about to see a significant increase in child endangering charges because the children have access to things like gummies to cookies," Meader said.
Meader told the officers when in doubt, they should contact their local prosecutor because they are the ones who will ultimately try the cases.