Tom Haren

It’s been nine months since Ohioans voted to legalize adult-use marijuana. While the law went into effect in December 2023, retail sales remained on hold due to regulatory requirements and a few political skirmishes. The Wait Is Nearly Over Medical marijuana dispensaries across Ohio learned...

Ohio’s newly legalized recreational marijuana remains in limbo as lawmakers struggle to finalize changes to the legislation that was approved by voters in November 2023. "It's a complex issue," House Speaker Jason Stephens (R) told reporters recently. What's The Hold-Up? Tom Haren, spokesman...

With both chambers of the Ohio legislature scheduled to have one more session each before taking a month off in March, the question of coming up with rules for legal marijuana sales is lingering in the air. Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said he is working toward getting something...

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) alongside several public officials, held a press conference on Wednesday to sound the alarm on intoxicating hemp, also known as Delta-8, and its accessibility to minors. “It is intoxicating, it is something that needs to be banned, and...

An Ohio Senate committee has approved a bill that would make dramatic changes to the voter-approved initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis, known as Issue 2, which goes into effect on December 7. The new bill seeks to eliminate home cultivation, increase the...

With election day getting closer in Ohio and two hot issues on the Nov. 7 ballot – a cannabis legalization measure and an abortion rights amendment, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is becoming more vociferous against both in a series of media appearances, suggesting that he believes Ohioans might be...

With early voting underway in Ohio since last week, groups supporting Issue 2, which seeks to legalize adult use cannabis, have yet to spend a single dollar on traditional TV ads, typically the largest expense for any political campaign. In fact, only one group that opposes...

On Nov. 7, Ohioans will vote on two ballot initiatives. As is the case with almost all statewide issues, aptly noted Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the initiatives involve controversial topics that have ardent supporters as well as fervent critics: reproductive rights/abortion and...

The proposal to legalize recreational cannabis in Ohio was cleared Wednesday and will appear on statewide ballots this November, officials announced. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose determined that the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) had submitted 127...

Recreational marijuana advocates have submitted thousands more signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office, nearly 10-times the number they need to put the issue on the November ballot. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol only needed 679 signatures after the state...

Ohioans fighting for marijuana reform are facing a new challenge – the proposal to legalize recreational cannabis fell short on Tuesday of the needed signatures, reported the Associated Press. Fortunately for the backers, the game is not over yet. What Happened: ...

Republican state Rep. Jamie Callender and Democratic state Rep. Casey Weinstein reintroduced a recreational marijuana legalization bill this week, known as the Ohio Adult Use Act.  “It’s time for Ohio to act on this before we fall too much further behind our...

As expected, Ohio lawmakers took no action Wednesday to enact a cannabis legalization proposal, essentially allowing it to lapse, thereby opening the door to supporters to move forward and begin collecting signatures to get the proposal on the ballot this coming November.  Now What? The...

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a GOP-led bill seeking to prevent people from the burden of a criminal record for a simple marijuana paraphernalia arrest into law on Tuesday, reported Signal Cleveland. Senate Bill 288, a large-scale criminal justice legislation from Sen. Nathan Manning (R),...

State officials and cannabis legalization advocates reached a deal on Friday, agreeing to allow the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to retain the signatures they’ve already collected while delaying their campaign until 2023. The Coalition agreed to delay its...