Why it matters:
The Ohio Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has been given permission to gather 124,046 signatures to get the marijuana legalization question on the November ballot following legislators in the Buckeye State failed to pass a Citizen-initiated proposal to legalize it. The coalition will have until July 5 to gather the remaining signatures.
What they are saying:
The spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Tom Haren, stated the coalition was building on an existing medical marijuana program that has shown it can be effective and provide safe, tested products to Ohio medical patients. This, Haren said, was a framework that works and will provide a quick alternative to an illicit market.
The big picture:
The Ohio General Assembly had until Wednesday to get some variation of cannabis policy done following the state’s agreement with the coalition to address the issue by 2023. Under the deal, the coalition retained the over 140,000 signatures it obtained last year, ensuring it doesn’t have to start the process all over again.
What to watch:
The coalition’s proposed measure will legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products to adult people aged 21 and up. It will also legalize home grow for adults aged 21 and up, with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence. It would levy a 10% cannabis tax rate on adult-use sales, with a proportion of that set for their social equity and jobs programs in Ohio, among other provisions.
Give your take:
Ohio’s swing to becoming the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana may be bolstered by the 60% of voters in the state in favor of it, according to a Spectrum News/Siena College Research Institute poll from last year. It reported that 79% of Democrats were in support of marijuana legalization, while 61% of Ohio Republicans were also in support.
