Baker answers questions about cannabis

LIMA —Lima Police Chief James Baker advised residents to use caution when consuming cannabis two weeks into official regulation by the state of Ohio.

Baker shared information at Mayor Sharetta Smith’s Wednesday press briefing to answer questions, now that the substance is legal statewide and area dispensaries have begun selling it for recreational use.

“The biggest thing I would say is use caution with anything that is brand new, especially if you’ve never used it before and you don’t know how you’re going to respond to it,” he said. “Also think about it in terms of alcohol, which has been with us for a long time. There are restrictions on it in the same way there are with recreational marijuana now and many of them are very similar.”

Baker said the department has not yet received calls relating to the use of cannabis but shared a reminder about the restrictions.

“You have to be 21 years or older in order to purchase it,” he said. “The other thing people may not be thinking about is whether they can use it at work, but employers can restrict that just like with alcohol. They wouldn’t want you to come to work intoxicated, and they’re not going to want you to come to work under the influence of marijuana, so they can test for those things and that is up to your employer.”

Baker also clarified the limits of the state’s regulations under the Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control.

“You can have two and a half ounces of the raw marijuana or 15 grams of an extract, which is a higher concentration,” he said. “And an individual can have up to six plants, but in a household, 12 plants are allowed.”

The best thing for the situation, Baker said, would be education.

“And part of that is going to the officers,” he said. “They have an opportunity if they stop someone with more than what is allowed to go over the rules. They don’t have to take an enforcement action, it could just be an information action.”

For more information, visit the DCC page at bit.ly/3WMbABd.

Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.