Ohio legalizes recreational marijuana, NewsNation projects

Updated: Nov 7, 2023 / 08:15 PM CST

Budtender Taylor Altshule holds Cherry Pie marijuana at a California Street Cannabis Company location in San Francisco, Monday, March 20, 2023. Twitter under its 420-friendly owner Elon Musk earlier this year became the first major social media company to allow cannabis advertisements. Now, the platform is relaxing those rules in an attempt to lure in more advertisers from U.S. states where marijuana is legal. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

BREAKING UPDATE: Ohio has become the 24th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana, despite strong GOP opposition, NewsNation / Decision Desk HQ projects.

Original story: (NewsNation) — Ohio voters will decide in Tuesday’s election whether the state will legalize marijuana for recreational use. It’s the second attempt in recent years to legalize recreational marijuana in the state — voters previously rejected such a measure in 2015.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday. As counties report results, the map below will be updated.

Issue 2 on the Nov. 7 ballot would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of cannabis and 15 grams (about half an ounce) of extract, and to grow up to six plants per individual through a government program.

If passed, Issue 2 would also authorize a 10% tax on the sale of marijuana that would be used to fund a variety of different programs from addiction treatment to jobs programs.

Supporters of legalization say Ohio can reclaim tax revenue being lost to states such as Michigan, where marijuana is legal, and take power from illegal drug markets through government regulation.

But opponents warn of increased workforce and traffic accidents caused by people under the influence and argue much of the revenue will land in the pockets of the marijuana industry, not taxpayers.

The legalization campaign has drawn national attention due to the state’s long-term standing as a “bellwether,” said Douglas Berman, a law professor at Ohio State University who runs the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center there.

“Ohio’s sort of interestingly located in the national story… I think if Ohio were to reject Issue 2, the opponents of reform (would say) this is not inevitable,” he said.

But if it passes, the story may be very different.

“If it does pass in Ohio, there’s both the story of ‘hey look in a state that’s now…. a very red state, we see this issue alone still gets a majority of support, and I think we are particularly located to have a ripple effect through much of our region,’” he said.