Adult-use marijuana legalization qualifies for Ohio ballot

Adult-use marijuana legalization will appear on Ohio voters’ ballots in November.

The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol campaign qualified a legalization initiative for the upcoming election, the organizers announced late Wednesday.

Critics have said that shunting adult-use legalization to low-turnout, off-cycle elections is a deliberate technique meant to help defeat the measure.

An example is the low-turnout special election held in Oklahoma in March, when adult-use legalization was handily defeated.

However, Ohio’s November election is expected to be high-energy and contentious.

Along with marijuana legalization, Ohio voters will decide an abortion-rights measure.

The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol campaign has raised $4.7 million to date, according to the most recent campaign finance data.

Leading funders include the Washington DC-based advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project and major cannabis companies with interests in Ohio such as Chicago-headquartered multistate operator Cresco Labs, campaign finance records show.

Polling shows a consistent majority supports adult-use legalization in Ohio, which approved a strictly regulated medical marijuana program in 2016.

However, sales didn’t begin until 2019.

Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/adult-use-marijuana-legalization-qualifies-for-ohio-ballot/