Ohio Targets Pot Possession Driving Penalty

Ohio lawmakers are taking early steps toward lifting Ohio’s driving penalties for marijuana possession.

A resolution scheduled for a possible committee vote Tuesday declares the Legislature’s opposition to a 1990 federal law that requires a six-month suspension or revocation of a driver’s license after a drug offense conviction, even when the violation is unrelated to driving.

Passage of the resolution is the ammunition Gov. John Kasich needs to request federal clearance for Ohio to opt out of the law, as all but 16 states have already done. Follow-up legislation would be needed once federal approval is granted to change Ohio’s possession law.

Versions of the Ohio resolution have already cleared both chambers of the Legislature by wide bipartisan margins. This week’s House action is needed to unify separate proposals.