marijuana

Recreational weed’s fate is in the hands of Ohio voters for the first time since 2015. 

Here’s what you should know before heading to the polls.

What’s in the law?

State Issue 2 is an initiated statute that, if passed, will legalize cannabis for recreational use among adults 21 and older. 

Initiated statutes give state legislatures authority to make adjustments if it passes, or even repeal the law altogether. 

Should it pass, Ohioans age 21 and older would be allowed to buy and possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. People could also grow up to six plants individually and up to 12 in a household with more than two adults. 

Acceptable forms of adult use cannabis, according to the law’s text, include “plants, clones, extracts, drops, oils, tinctures, edibles, patches, smoking or combustible product, vaporization products, beverages, pills, capsules, suppositories, oral pouches, oral strips, oral and topical sprays, salves, lotions … and inhalers.”

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the sponsors behind the initiative, have said the law would generate “several hundred million dollars in annual revenue for state and local governments.” 

The law states adult use marijuana sales would be “taxed at 10% on top of existing state and county sales taxes.” 

The newly formed Division of Cannabis Control, an arm of the Ohio Department of Commerce, would oversee revenue. Money would be split in four ways: 

  • 36% goes to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund
  • 36% goes to host communities, or communities who host cannabis dispensaries
  • 25% goes to substance abuse and addiction programs that fight “substance and opiate abuse and related research” 
  • 3% goes to the Division of Cannabis Control and tax commissioner fund to “support the operations of the division of cannabis control and to defray the cost of the department of taxation for administering the tax.” 

The law also gives some agency to local municipalities and legislative authorities who can “adopt and ordinance … to prohibit, or limit the number of adult use cannabis operators…” 

In cities that don’t prohibit them, cannabis establishments must be situated at least 500 feet from any church, public library, public playground, public park, or school, according to the text. 

To read the 42-page proposed law, click here.

Local reaction

Ashland County: The Ashland County Republican Party officially opposes state issues 1 and 2.

The Ashland County Democratic Party’s chair did not respond to a request for comment, but member Heather Sample expressed support for the initiative.

The Ashland County Board of Commissioners took a rare stance against the initiative on Sept. 29 when commissioners unanimously passed a resolution opposing State Issue 2.

Richland County: The Richland County Republican Party voted unanimously recently opposing both state issues 1 and 2.

The Richland County Democratic Party has not taken a formal stance on issue 1.

Seth Meehan, a Mansfield resident, not only supports it. He organized an effort to collect signatures in late July. 

“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said of the results locally. One morning, he set up a table outside of 3rd Cup Tea in Mansfield. He collected 50 signatures. “Not a whole lot, but I hope it helped. It at least got awareness out.”

The 39 year-old Scottish transplant called the debate over a plant “bonkers.”

“I’ve seen how it benefits me. I have a bad back … and cannabis is one of those things that will support me with pain,” he said.

Knox County: Neither party in Knox County has taken a formal stance on state issue 2.

Statewide support

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the sponsor of the initiated statute, is registered as a political action committee. The coalition, according to campaign finance records, has reported $4.6 million in contributions.

Top donors include Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C. organization focused on marijuana policy reform; Cresco Labs Ohio, a marijuana manufacturer; Battle Green Holdings, a marijuana-industry consulting firm; and The Firelands Company, a medical cannabis company.

Republicans in Ohio remain divided on the law. And the Ohio Democratic Party has not taken an official stance. 

State Rep. Jamie Callendar (R-Concord) has supported it, saying “cannabis has some very legitimate uses, whether it’s pain relief, whether it’s an alternative to alcohol.” 

Other GOP lawmakers who have voiced support include Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) and U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, a democrat, remains undecided on this issue and has seemingly been on the fence for years.

Polls show a majority of Ohio voters support the idea of recreational cannabis use.

One poll from Fallon Research showed 59% of Ohioans support the recreational use of cannabis among adults, while 32% oppose it and 9% remain unsure. The firm conducted its research from Aug. 23-25 and received 501 respondents. 

Another poll, conducted in mid-August by FM3 Research, found 55% of respondents in support of the issue, while 34% opposed it an 11% were unsure. (The poll was commissioned by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.)

Statewide opposition

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine does not support recreational marijuana use, calling the potential passing of the law “a mistake.” 

The Ohio Senate voted Wednesday on a resolution opposing state issue 2 and encouraged Ohioans to vote “no.”

Senators Terry Johnson and Mark Romanchuk, both Republicans, and state Rep. William Seitz, issued an argument against the initiative. 

“Issue 2 is a bad plan that puts profits over people. It legalizes an addiction-for-profit industry at the expense of our families and poses substantial risks to the public health and safety of all Ohioans, especially children and adolescents, given marijuana’s high potential for abuse,” reads the statement. 

Protect Ohio Families and Workers, a coalition of organizations across Ohio, equated the initiative to “Big Tobacco.” 

“Legalizing recreational marijuana is today’s version of Big Tobacco — big corporations getting rich at the expense of our kids and society. That’s why people from all walks of life are coming together to vote ‘NO’ this November,” the statement reads. 

Marijuana in the U.S.

Marijuana, even in states where it is legal, remains a schedule 1 substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act. 

The classification means the drug “has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

States, however, have been legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes since 1996, when California voters passed the Compassionate Use Act. Since then, 40 other states have also legalized the use of medical cannabis.

Colorado and Washington became the first two states in 2012 to legalize the plant for recreational use.

If issue 2 passes in a month, Ohio would become the 24th state to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use.

Marijuana in Ohio: a brief history

When Ohio’s issue 3 failed to make recreational marijuana legal in 2015, the state Legislature passed a bill legalizing it on a medical basis a year later.

As of Oct. 11, there are 108 medical marijuana dispensaries operational in Ohio, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program. 

Several attempts to legalize the plant have been made since. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol brought the initiative to the Ohio Secretary of State in 2021 as a ballot initiative. 

By the end of 2021, the coalition had collected over 200,000 signatures, but a lawsuit over filing deadline meant a delay until 2023. 

In July, secretary Frank Larose said the group came up 679 signatures short of the 124,046 required. The coalition was given another 10 days to come up with the rest of the signatures. 

By Aug. 4, the goal was met by more than 10 times the amount needed and on Aug. 16, Larose confirmed the initiative would appear on the ballot.