MILWAUKEE — Ohio voters have chosen to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
The "Yes" vote on issue two now means that people 21 and over will be able to use, grow, or sell marijuana in the state.
Making it the 24th state in the US to embrace marijuana legalization.
The measure becomes effective in 30 days under a regulation-and-tax program imposed by the state.
Medical marijuana use has been legal in Ohio since 2016, but this year's ballot pushed the steady advance toward legalizing recreational use of the drug.
The passing of issue two immediately followed the state passing issue one, which added the right to access abortion care to the state's constitution.
A marijuana legalization question will be on Ohio’s fall ballot after lawmakers failed to act on it
According to The Associated Press, the vote in Ohio comes after the Republican-led state Legislature failed there to act on it.
The measure allows adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home. A 10% tax would be imposed on purchases, to be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment programs, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose previously determined that the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had submitted 127,772 valid signatures, more than the 124,046 needed to put the question before voters on Nov. 7.
In July, organizers had originally submitted fewer signatures than required, but were given 10 days to try again. During that grace period, they collected an additional 4,405 valid signatures.
Ohio becomes the 24th state to legalize cannabis for adult use.
“This isn’t groundbreaking,” Tom Haren, a coalition spokesperson, said in a statement when the signatures were submitted. “We’re just trying to get Ohio in line with neighbors like Michigan and Illinois.”
The proposal had a long journey to the ballot.
LaRose first submitted petitions to the Ohio General Assembly on behalf of the coalition on Jan. 28, 2022, triggering a four-month countdown for lawmakers to act. Republican legislative leaders indicated they did not intend to vote the proposal into law. Legislators also asserted that the coalition’s petition signatures weren’t turned in in time to make the 2022 ballot.
The coalition sued and, in a settlement, ultimately agreed to wait until 2023.
Marijuana has been legal for medical use in the state since 2016.
Wisconsin Republicans kill legalized pot
According to The Associated Press, Wisconsin Republicans on May 2, 2023 voted to kill proposals to legalize marijuana, pay for renovations at the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium and create a paid family leave program, moves that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers derided as “foolish.”
The Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee killed more than 500 proposals from Evers with a single vote.
Evers had proposed tapping the state’s record-high $7 billion budget surplus to pay for a wide array of spending priorities that Republicans ultimately rejected.
Democrats accused Republicans of acting against the wishes of voters on issues like Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization that polls show have broad support.
The Joint Finance Committee will take a series of votes to build its own two-year spending plan which will then go to the Senate and Assembly for approval. Once passed, Evers can make changes through his powerful veto, which is what he did with the past two budgets he signed that included both Republican and Democratic priorities.
Evers, citing broad support as measured by public polls, called for legalizing both recreational and medical marijuana. Republicans have long resisted legalizing recreational marijuana, but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he hopes to bring a medical marijuana bill to a vote this fall.
***
We used reporting from The Associated Press and NBC News to compile this news report.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
