Ohio Rep. Proposes Using Marijuana Tax to Fund Law Enforcement Training

An Ohio representative is proposing a bill that would use $80 million in tax revenue from the sale of adult use marijuana to fund law enforcement officer training.

Under the proposal, the first $40 million in adult use marijuana tax revenue each year over the next two years would go to Law Enforcement Assistance Fund for training, Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison, said during a press conference Tuesday.

In her Tuesday press conference, Abrams, a former police officer in Cincinnati, noted the General Assembly has been trying to find a permanent funding stream for law enforcement training and that the passage of Issue 2 has a public safety component, since officers would be the ones responding to any 911 calls regarding impairment.

The bill is the first proposal to rework Ohio’s Issue 2, an initiated statute that was approved by Ohio voters earlier this month. Now that it’s a passed law, the Republican-controlled Ohio Statehouse has the ability to amend its specifics, with tax revenue being one of the most glaring areas of opportunity, the Dayton Daily News reports.