By Linda Alvarado-Arce
On March 31, 2025, Erika White held her first of many “Brief Updates” for Ohio (OH) House District 41 with Minority Leader Allison Russo of District 7 at the Maumee Public Library. During this talk, White and Russo talked about putting the people first in Ohio, Senate Bill 1, also known as the “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act” which was endorsed by Josh Williams (R- Sylvania), and Senate Bill 56 which revises the medical and adult-use (recreational) marijuana laws that were voted on and passed by the citizens of Ohio (Issue 2) on November 7, 2023.
In short, Senate Bill 1, according to Casey Weinstein (District 28), of the Ohio State 136th General Assembly, https://ohiosenate.gov/news/the-democratic-standard/senate-bill-1-attacks-academic-independence (2/20/2025) will:
- eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,
- change the way universities can instruct and endorse certain topics the state deems controversial,
- decrease term limits for the state school board of trustees,
- create a mandatory American civics course for students, and
- prohibit faculty from striking, among other things.
What’s more, according to Weinstein (2/20/2025), this bill will affect a variety of different groups and marginalized communities, i.e., veterans and their spouses who use scholarships to pursue an education, the disability and human trafficked population, and specifically the historically marginalized. It, more importantly, undermines “academic freedom and institutional autonomy” that is at the heart of higher education (Weinstein, 2/20/2025).
While Senate Bill 56, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission’s (https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/download?key=24681&mc_cid=7c7bb19e1e&mc_eid=UNIQID), most notable changes are:
- Reducing the maximum THC content in cannabis extracts from 90% to 70%;
- Limiting the THC content for edibles to 10 milligrams per serving and 100 milligrams per package;
- Reducing the maximum number of home-grown marijuana plants in a single residence from 12 to 6;
- Prohibiting any non-sanctioned transfer of cannabis between two people regardless of age;
- Requiring recreational marijuana to be stored in its original packaging;
- Prohibiting the possession of marijuana purchased out-of-state;
- Eliminating Issue 2’s Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Program, which would have provided financial assistance and marijuana license application support to individuals adversely impacted by the enforcement of marijuana-related laws; and
- Allowing for the expungement of marijuana-related convictions.
Can you notice a theme? These changes are huge! Voting matters! Educating, Organizing, and Mobilizing are what people need to do if we want meaningful change. Power to the People!!!