Cannabis Legalization Efforts in Ohio Encounter A Temporary Setback

Despite the valiant efforts of marijuana advocates in Ohio, a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis did not gather enough signatures to be included in the upcoming ballot. Nevertheless, activists have been granted a ten-day extension to collect the remaining signatures.

The drive to legalize adult-use cannabis in Ohio narrowly missed reaching the necessary number of validated signatures for its proposed ballot initiative. The signature count fell short by less than 700. The movement, however, remains alive and the activists have been allotted an additional 10 days to gather the remaining signatures.

Ohio’s Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, announced on Tuesday that the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has garnered over 123,000 validated signatures from registered voters. These were for an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative to be put on the November election ballot. Despite this, LaRose indicated that the number of valid signatures still fell short of the required amount. He added that the campaign now has 10 days to gather and submit the remaining signatures to reach the goal of 124,046.

LaRose stated that, “petitioners require an additional 679 valid signatures that were not included in the original or prior supplementary petitions.”

Reacting to the Secretary of State’s announcement, Tom Haren, a spokesperson for the legalization campaign, recognized their shortfall. However, he confidently expressed that the task to make up the remaining number of signatures will be relatively “easy.”

Haren stated to the Columbus Dispatch, “While we fell a bit short in this initial phase, we now have 10 days to gather merely 679 voters to sign a supplementary petition. This task should be easy as a majority of Ohioans support our proposal to regulate and tax adult-use marijuana.” He also expressed his anticipation for Ohio voters to express their views in the upcoming November election.

If they meet the signature goal, the state ballot board will meet to authenticate the language used in the ballot and commence preparations for the November election.

The proposed initiative, if passed, would legalize recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and above in Ohio. They could possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of cannabis concentrates. It also permits personal cannabis cultivation, with each adult allowed to cultivate up to six cannabis plants. For households with more than one adult, a maximum of 12 plants would be allowed.

The initiative would also establish a new state agency, the Division of Cannabis Control. This agency would oversee the commercial production and sales of cannabis products. Cannabis products would carry a 10% tax, aimed at covering the costs of regulation, substance misuse treatment programs, and a social equity and jobs program. Additionally, the plan includes a social equity program wherein certain cannabis cultivation and dispensary licenses would be reserved for individuals from communities disproportionately affected by Ohio’s existing marijuana laws.

The proposal for recreational cannabis follows Ohio’s previous legalization of medical marijuana in 2016, which led to the opening of the state’s first regulated cannabis dispensaries in 2019. In 2015, an earlier proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis made it to the ballot but was defeated by over 65% of the state’s voters.

LaRose first submitted the proposal to legalize recreational cannabis in January 2022. However, disagreements over the timing of the initiative led to a legal dispute, and the initiative was excluded from the 2022 election ballot, prompting campaigners to wait until this year.

Survey data shows that public opinion favors reform. A Spectrum News/Siena College poll conducted last year revealed that 60% of Ohio voters strongly or somewhat support marijuana legalization. Should the proposal succeed in the November polls, Ohio would be the 24th state to legalize adult-use cannabis.

Haren told WSOU Public Media, “We anticipate that our proposal will receive a mandate from Ohio voters, indicating that we aim to follow the example of the other half of the United States that have legalized and regulated marijuana since 2013.”