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Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol initiative[1] | |||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district resultsYes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% No: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||
TheRegulate Marijuana Like Alcohol initiative, listed on the ballot asIssue 2,[2] was aballot initiative forlegalization of cannabis in the U.S. state of Ohio that was passed by voters on November 7, 2023.
State law in Ohio allows citizens to bring initiatives before the state legislature, with signatures of at least 3 percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor at thelast gubernatorial election. These must have been obtained from at least 44 of the 88counties in Ohio. From each of these 44 counties, there must be signatures equal to at least 1.5 percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor in that county at the last gubernatorial election.[3][4]
Once those requirements are met, a group can force the legislature to consider an initiative. When there is no action taken by theGeneral Assembly or theGovernor, by collecting more signatures of a quantity again meeting the above-mentioned requirements, the group can force to send it to voters on the November ballot. In Ohio, a group called the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol brought the initiative to the Ohio Secretary of State to be a 2022 ballot initiative. It was approved on August 30, 2021, for signature gathering.[5][6] Over 200,000 signatures were submitted to the state at the end of 2021.[7][8]
A lawsuit over filing deadlines resulted in the Ohio Secretary of State and the state legislature agreeing the initiative's signatures collected in 2021 and 2022 may be applied toward a 2023 ballot deadline.[9]
In July 2023, on an initial count, supporters came up about 650 short of the required number of valid signatures. On August 3, more than ten times the remaining number required to validate the initiative for the November ballot were turned in to the secretary of state.[10] On August 16, 2023, the secretary of state confirmed that the initiative would appear as a referendum ballot on November 7, 2023.[11]
The initiative was passed by voters on November 7, 2023.[12]
Adults age 21 and up may purchase, possess and consumemarijuana. Adults over 21 are also allowed to grow up to six plants per person, or 12 plants per residence, at home.
The Division of Cannabis Control was created within the Ohio Department of Commerce to regulate cannabis commerce. This authority extends tocannabis testing laboratories and supply chain.[8]
The initiative also specifies how tax revenues under the new law must be spent. Thirty-six percent (36%) must be designated for "social equity and jobs" programs, estimated to be as high as $150 million per year. Thirty-six percent (36%) goes to communities that have dispensaries. Twenty-five percent (25%) must go to education and addiction treatment programs, and 3% is used for regulatory and administrative costs.[13]
The sponsor of the initiative, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, is an affiliate ofMarijuana Policy Project.[14]
Ohio passed medical cannabis (along with decriminalized cannabis) in 2016 under Ohio House Bill 523.[15]
In early 2022, pro-cannabis advocates gathered signatures to send recreational legalization measure to the state legislature. In April, the Senate president publicly announced that he would not bring the measure up for a vote. Under Ohio law, advocates then had a second opportunity to gather more signatures, and if they gathered enough, the measure would go on the ballot in November. "The recreational cannabis petition collected 136,000 verified signatures, enough to get considered by the General Assembly, but would require an additional 132,877 signatures to proceed to the ballot."[15]
The largest organized opposition came from the Center for Christian Virtue, which believes legalized cannabis will produce negative impacts on neighborhoods and society's drug addiction problems. The main proponent behind the ballot initiative was the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA), which dismissed the Center for Christian Virtue's opposition as "Prohibition-style talking points from 20 years ago."[15]
In October 2023, Republican Senate PresidentMatt Huffman warned that state legislators could repeal key provisions of Issue 2 if it passed.[16]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | For | Against | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D) | October 31 – November 2, 2023 | 582 (LV) | ± 4% | 61% | 34% | 6% |
| Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute | October 9–11, 2023 | 569 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 57% | 35% | 8% |
| Fallon Research | August 22–25, 2023 | 501 (RV) | ± 4.37% | 59% | 32% | 9% |
| FM3 Research | August 14–23, 2023 | 843 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 59% | 36% | 5% |
| USA Today/Suffolk University | July 9–12, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 58.6% | 34.8% | 6.6% |
| County | Yes, % | Yes, votes | No, % | No, votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 43.8% | 3,368 | 56.2% | 4,326 |
| Allen | 46.2% | 14,216 | 53.8% | 16,581 |
| Ashland | 45.0% | 8,200 | 55.0% | 10,029 |
| Ashtabula | 55.2% | 16,725 | 44.8% | 13,590 |
| Athens | 70.6% | 13,051 | 29.4% | 5,443 |
| Auglaize | 38.6% | 6,761 | 61.4% | 10,741 |
| Belmont | 48.5% | 9,112 | 51.5% | 9,691 |
| Brown | 50.5% | 6,742 | 49.5% | 6,612 |
| Butler | 57.0% | 64,223 | 43.0% | 48,410 |
| Carroll | 44.8% | 4,091 | 55.2% | 5,043 |
| Champaign | 51.8% | 6,887 | 48.2% | 6,400 |
| Clark | 55.7% | 22,595 | 44.3% | 17,967 |
| Clermont | 57.3% | 42,623 | 42.7% | 31,749 |
| Clinton | 51.5% | 6,768 | 48.5% | 6,385 |
| Columbiana | 48.5% | 15,517 | 51.5% | 16,490 |
| Coshocton | 49.1% | 5,360 | 50.9% | 5,548 |
| Crawford | 46.9% | 6,044 | 53.1% | 6,834 |
| Cuyahoga | 66.8% | 262,816 | 33.2% | 130,329 |
| Darke | 37.9% | 6,853 | 62.1% | 11,232 |
| Defiance | 47.2% | 5,954 | 52.8% | 6,670 |
| Delaware | 55.5% | 53,054 | 44.5% | 42,594 |
| Erie | 58.8% | 16,529 | 41.2% | 11,565 |
| Fairfield | 52.6% | 28,976 | 47.4% | 26,080 |
| Fayette | 48.6% | 3,939 | 51.4% | 4,158 |
| Franklin | 68.0% | 285,835 | 32.0% | 134,764 |
| Fulton | 42.3% | 6,424 | 57.7% | 8,774 |
| Gallia | 44.7% | 3,273 | 55.3% | 4,043 |
| Geauga | 51.8% | 21,078 | 48.2% | 19,588 |
| Greene | 51.9% | 32,034 | 48.1% | 29,747 |
| Guernsey | 50.0% | 5,582 | 50.0% | 5,586 |
| Hamilton | 65.8% | 186,770 | 34.2% | 97,257 |
| Hancock | 46.7% | 11,941 | 53.3% | 13,623 |
| Hardin | 48.7% | 4,014 | 51.3% | 4,235 |
| Harrison | 44.7% | 2,053 | 55.3% | 2,543 |
| Henry | 42.1% | 4,163 | 57.9% | 5,731 |
| Highland | 46.2% | 5,451 | 53.8% | 6,343 |
| Hocking | 53.6% | 4,770 | 46.4% | 4,128 |
| Holmes | 31.4% | 2,731 | 68.6% | 5,961 |
| Huron | 51.6% | 9,209 | 48.4% | 8,635 |
| Jackson | 48.9% | 3,968 | 51.1% | 4,152 |
| Jefferson | 48.9% | 9,691 | 51.1% | 10,123 |
| Knox | 47.8% | 10,576 | 52.2% | 11,557 |
| Lake | 59.0% | 52,940 | 41.0% | 36,735 |
| Lawrence | 51.7% | 8,506 | 48.3% | 7,939 |
| Licking | 52.8% | 32,848 | 47.2% | 29,351 |
| Logan | 49.4% | 7,631 | 50.6% | 7,804 |
| Lorain | 59.6% | 65,952 | 40.4% | 44,634 |
| Lucas | 61.2% | 72,214 | 38.8% | 45,762 |
| Madison | 50.2% | 6,925 | 49.8% | 6,880 |
| Mahoning | 52.0% | 39,060 | 48.0% | 36,106 |
| Marion | 53.4% | 10,025 | 46.6% | 8,742 |
| Medina | 53.8% | 39,752 | 46.2% | 34,097 |
| Meigs | 52.0% | 3,363 | 48.0% | 3,108 |
| Mercer | 34.5% | 6,040 | 65.5% | 11,491 |
| Miami | 48.5% | 19,289 | 51.5% | 20,471 |
| Monroe | 43.7% | 1,818 | 56.3% | 2,339 |
| Montgomery | 60.3% | 101,554 | 39.7% | 66,975 |
| Morgan | 45.2% | 2,073 | 54.8% | 2,512 |
| Morrow | 48.5% | 6,323 | 51.5% | 6,705 |
| Muskingum | 48.9% | 12,285 | 51.1% | 12,814 |
| Noble | 41.8% | 1,716 | 58.2% | 2,387 |
| Ottawa | 54.1% | 9,246 | 45.9% | 7,843 |
| Paulding | 45.1% | 2,837 | 54.9% | 3,449 |
| Perry | 51.8% | 5,632 | 48.2% | 5,239 |
| Pickaway | 48.5% | 9,162 | 51.5% | 9,748 |
| Pike | 47.0% | 3,501 | 53.0% | 3,942 |
| Portage | 58.7% | 33,839 | 41.3% | 23,778 |
| Preble | 47.3% | 6,687 | 52.7% | 7,440 |
| Putnam | 30.8% | 4,423 | 69.2% | 9,938 |
| Richland | 49.8% | 19,945 | 50.2% | 20,074 |
| Ross | 53.0% | 11,359 | 47.0% | 10,058 |
| Sandusky | 52.4% | 10,692 | 47.6% | 9,694 |
| Scioto | 47.6% | 8,424 | 52.4% | 9,283 |
| Seneca | 50.2% | 8,962 | 49.8% | 8,881 |
| Shelby | 39.2% | 6,785 | 60.8% | 10,519 |
| Stark | 51.9% | 65,865 | 48.1% | 61,091 |
| Summit | 60.6% | 115,174 | 39.4% | 75,010 |
| Trumbull | 53.1% | 34,345 | 46.9% | 30,352 |
| Tuscarawas | 42.7% | 12,138 | 57.3% | 16,281 |
| Union | 52.1% | 13,408 | 47.9% | 12,330 |
| Van Wert | 44.6% | 4,296 | 55.4% | 5,330 |
| Vinton | 52.3% | 1,796 | 47.7% | 1,636 |
| Warren | 51.9% | 46,970 | 48.1% | 43,558 |
| Washington | 47.6% | 9,277 | 52.4% | 10,209 |
| Wayne | 44.6% | 16,599 | 55.4% | 20,648 |
| Williams | 43.6% | 5,290 | 56.4% | 6,856 |
| Wood | 55.3% | 25,871 | 44.7% | 20,875 |
| Wyandot | 46.4% | 3,595 | 53.6% | 4,145 |
On November 8, the day after polling, top Republican leaders in Ohio indicated the possibility of overturning the measures approved by the voters in the ballot, along with those ofIssue 1 on abortion.[41] Republicans who oppose the initiative are able to change the law and to repeal it due to holding majorities in both theOhio House of Representatives and theOhio Senate.[42] Ohio Senate leader Steve Huffman, a Republican, said that given the result, Ohio legislators "may consider amending the statute to clarify the questionable language regarding limits for THC and tax rates as well as other parts of the statute."[41] While Issue 2 mandates that marijuana tax revenue should be used to regulate marijuana, support substance abuse services, assist industry business owners and fund local governments where recreational business owners exist, Ohio House leaderJason Stephens, also a Republican, called for the Ohio "legislature to lead on how best to allocate tax revenues", and proposed "county jail construction and funding law enforcement training".[43]
The referendum was polarized most strongly by age, with support decreasing as voters got older. White voters were less supportive than Black and Latino voters.
Men were more supportive than women for legal marijuana. Except for voters who never attended college, support was largely constant for educational attainment.
| Demographic subgroup[44] | Yes | No | % of total vote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total vote | 57.0 | 43.0 | 100 | |
| Age | ||||
| 18–29 years old | 84 | 16 | 12 | |
| 30–44 years old | 69 | 31 | 22 | |
| 45–64 years old | 53 | 47 | 35 | |
| 65+ years old | 40 | 60 | 31 | |
| Party ID | ||||
| Democrat | 79 | 21 | 32 | |
| Republican | 30 | 70 | 35 | |
| Independent | 64 | 36 | 33 | |
| Ideology | ||||
| Liberal | 85 | 15 | 34 | |
| Moderate | 64 | 36 | 30 | |
| Conservative | 23 | 77 | 36 | |
| Marital Status | ||||
| Married | 50 | 50 | 61 | |
| Unmarried | 66 | 34 | 39 | |
| Married With Children? | ||||
| Yes | 58 | 42 | 23 | |
| No | 56 | 44 | 77 | |
| Race | ||||
| White | 54 | 46 | 85 | |
| Black | 72 | 28 | 10 | |
| Latino | 66 | 34 | 3 | |
| Asian | N/A | N/A | 1 | |
| Other | N/A | N/A | 1 | |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 58 | 42 | 47 | |
| Female | 55 | 45 | 53 | |
| Area Type | ||||
| Urban | 65 | 35 | 40 | |
| Suburban | 52 | 48 | 43 | |
| Rural | 54 | 46 | 18 | |
| White Born-Again or Evangelical Christian | ||||
| Yes | 30 | 70 | 30 | |
| No | 68 | 32 | 70 | |
| Parents | ||||
| Men With Children | 60 | 40 | 14 | |
| Women With Children | 60 | 40 | 16 | |
| Men Without Children | 57 | 43 | 33 | |
| Women Without Children | 53 | 47 | 37 | |
| Education | ||||
| Never Attended College | 48 | 52 | 18 | |
| Some College | 63 | 37 | 23 | |
| Associate's Degree | 55 | 45 | 14 | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 58 | 42 | 25 | |
| Advanced Degree | 57 | 43 | 19 | |
| Union Household | ||||
| Yes | 63 | 37 | 30 | |
| No | 55 | 45 | 70 | |
| 2020 Presidential Vote | ||||
| Biden | 80 | 20 | 45 | |
| Trump | 31 | 69 | 43 | |
| Another Candidate | 63 | 37 | 5 | |
| Did Not Vote | 64 | 36 | 4 | |
| Biden Approval | ||||
| Strongly Approve | 79 | 21 | 15 | |
| Somewhat Approve | 80 | 20 | 24 | |
| Somewhat Disapprove | 65 | 35 | 13 | |
| Strongly Disapprove | 35 | 65 | 46 | |
