COLUMBUS –
A central Ohio court ruled the state's "racial quota" for awarding
medical marijuana business licenses is unconstitutional.
The ruling could prompt the state to award another
provisional medical marijuana grow license to the plaintiff in the case, Greenleaf
Gardens LLC, bringing the total to 14 large-scale growers and 13 small-scale
growers. And it could also apply to other parts of the program.
Ohio law requires 15 percent of all licenses to grow, process, test and sell medical marijuana be awarded to businesses owned by a racial minority. The Ohio Department of Commerce last year awarded two of the available 12 medical marijuana cultivator licenses to businesses headed by minorities even though they scored lower than other applicants.
