Your Vote Matters: Ohio's Fall Ballot to Include Decision on Marijuana Legalization
In the upcoming fall elections, Ohio residents will have the chance to vote on whether or not to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults. This decision comes after the state's lawmakers, who are mainly from the Republican Party, did not take action on the matter.
The proposed law would allow adults who are 21 years old or older to buy and have up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. They would also be allowed to grow marijuana plants at home. When purchasing marijuana, there would be a 10% tax added to the cost. This tax money would be used for things like managing the new law, programs to help people with addiction, supporting communities with stores selling marijuana, and creating opportunities for jobs and fairness in the industry.
Frank LaRose, a Republican who is in charge of overseeing elections in the state, checked the signatures from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. This group wanted to make marijuana use similar to how alcohol is regulated. They had gathered 127,772 valid signatures, which was more than the required 124,046. As a result, Ohioans will get to vote on this matter on November 7th.
In July, the group originally had fewer valid signatures, but they were given extra time to collect more. During this time, they managed to get 4,405 additional valid signatures.
If the majority of voters say "yes" to this proposal, Ohio will be the 24th state to allow adults to use marijuana legally.
One of the people supporting this change, Tom Haren, explained that Ohio is simply trying to catch up with its neighboring states like Michigan and Illinois, which have already made similar changes.
This proposal to legalize marijuana has been a long process. In January 2022, Frank LaRose started the process by submitting petitions to the Ohio General Assembly on behalf of the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. After four months without any action from lawmakers, it was clear they were not planning to make this proposal into a law. They also argued that the signatures on the petition were turned in too late to include the question on the 2022 ballot.
The Coalition took the matter to court, and in the end, they agreed to wait until 2023 to settle the dispute. Since 2016, using marijuana for medical reasons has been legal in Ohio.
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