Ohioans Will Vote on Marijuana Initiative This November

On Wednesday, Ohio’s secretary of state certified ResponsibleOhio’s proposed constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot this November.

The proposal would legalize marijuana in Ohio, making it the first state to do so without first having a medical marijuana program. It would also be the first state east of the Mississippi to replace marijuana prohibition with regulation.

If approved by the voters, the proposal would:

-- amend the Ohio Constitution to allow marijuana to be taxed, regulated, and sold in stores,
-- allow commercial cannabis to be grown by just 10 farms, with the parcels specified in the measure,
-- allow no more than one marijuana store for every 10,000 Ohioans (about 1,160),
-- allow adults 21 and older to buy and possess up to an ounce of marijuana,
-- allow adults to cultivate up to four flowering plants and possess eight ounces of harvested cannabis if they purchase a $50 license, and
-- establish a medical marijuana program.

Ohioans will be voting on the proposed constitutional amendment on Tuesday, November 3. They will also consider the Ohio Initiated Monopolies measure — Issue 2 — which the legislature placed on the ballot in response to the marijuana initiative. That measure requires two separate votes to enact a measure that establishes a monopoly or oligopoly. It could invalidate the marijuana initiative if both are enacted.