Issue 2 passed in Ohio, which will legalize recreational marijuana in the state, the Associated Press projects.
The measure allows adults ages 21 and older to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrate and up to six plants at home.
“Marijuana is no longer a controversial issue," said Tom Haren, spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. "Ohioans demonstrated this by passing State Issue 2 in a landslide. Ohioans are being extremely clear on the future they want for our state: adult-use marijuana legal and regulated.”
The election’s outcome represents a blow to GOP lawmakers, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and business and manufacturing organizations concerned about its impact on workplace and traffic safety.
Among concerns raised by opponents that lawmakers may revisit is the measure's tax structure, which earmarks none of the earnings for Ohio counties that administer social services programs directed at drug use, addiction and other issues that could rise due to Issue 2’s passage.
“This fight is not over," Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action President Kevin Sabet said in a statement.
He called on state lawmakers to eliminate provisions of Issue 2 that allow for commercial sales, advertising and production, at a minimum.
Republican Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman said lawmakers may also reconsider “questionable language” regarding limits on THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high.
“This statute was written by the marijuana industry and should not be treated as a cash grab for their cash crop at the expense of a state trying to emerge from the opioid epidemic,” he said in a text sent by his spokesperson.
For the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, voter approval marked the culmination of the proposal’s yearslong fight to become law.
GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose first submitted petitions to the Ohio General Assembly on behalf of the coalition in January 2022, triggering a four-month countdown for lawmakers to act. Republican legislative leaders didn’t, and lawmakers asserted the group’s petitions arrived too late for 2022 ballots.
A lawsuit and settlement ensued, under which the group agreed to wait until this year.
As a citizen-initiated statute, though, the law is anything but secure. Republicans who remain opposed to it in the Legislature are free to make tweaks to the law — or even repeal it, though the political stakes are higher now that the voters have approved it.
A Baldwin Wallace poll conducted in early October showed a majority of likely voters in Ohio approved of Issue 2.
The poll showed 57% of respondents planned to vote “yes.” Around 7% of respondents were undecided.
Breakdown of respondents who favored Issue 2 in the poll include:
- 66% of Democrats
- 50% of Republicans
- 59% of Independents
However, 24% of Democrats, 43% of Republicans and 36% of Independents said they would vote “no.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.