Ohio launched its medical cannabis program in 2019 and legalized adult marijuana use a few years later. But that liberalization isn’t stopping Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones’ aerial anti-marijuana patrols.
On Monday, state officials approved the renewal of a contract worth up to $98,000, which will be reimbursed by the federal government. The operation is part of the state’s “illegal marijuana eradication initiative,” which according to contract documents resulted in 14,105 illegal marijuana plants killed last year before they could be harvested.
The Ohio Attorney General’s office said Butler County is one of “a few” law enforcement agencies with aviation units available for enforcing Ohio’s marijuana laws. The helicopters, Bell Jet Rangers, typically cost up to about $1,200 per hour.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office is currently charging the attorney general’s office $650 an hour for the use of the aircraft and $50 per hour for the spotter, according to documents filed with the budget request.
Steve Irwin, a spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, didn’t answer when asked whether the expenses are prudent given Ohio’s relaxation of its drug policy over the past few years.
“[The Bureau of Criminal Investigation] receives funding from the Department of Justice to conduct illegal marijuana eradication during the summer growing season,” he said. “This project is 100% federally funded.”
This is Ohio’s second time renewing the helicopter contract since voters legalized cannabis use and cultivation. The first renewal was about a year ago.
The state has issued permits allowing about 40 operators to grow marijuana inside industrial-scale facilities up to 25,000 square feet. The laws also allow Ohioans to grow their own – adults can grow 6 plants per person, or up to 12 plants at home if there are two adults living in the household.
In at least two instances, Ohioans lawfully growing marijuana have reported police encounters at home including a helicopter above their property and teams of armed officers at the ground level.
In Greene County, one man told local a local news station that an estimated two dozen officers (some reportedly in ski masks) arrived at his farm in 2024 with a helicopter hovering above after a pilot suspected him of growing illegally. He said publicly he was growing plants in compliance with the law, and court records reflect no charges filed against him.
A neighbor nearby reported a similar encounter of masked law enforcement armed with assault rifles under the mistaken belief of illegal marijuana.
“We have 12 plants, which is what’s allowed,” Mijanou Lewis said to the Yellow Springs News at the time. “They didn’t know the difference between swamp hibiscus and marijuana.”
