COLUMBUS, OH (WLIO) - Legalizing recreational marijuana could also appear on the ballot this November.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted over 200,000 signatures for their proposed law. If passed, Ohioans age 21 and over could possess two and a half ounces of marijuana and fifteen grams of concentrated product. It would also be legal to grow marijuana plants at home, six per individual, with a maximum of twelve per household. The office of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose must now determine if the petition has enough valid signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
July 5, 2023, Press Release from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol: Columbus, OH – The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted 222,198 signatures of Ohio voters from all 88 counties to the Ohio Secretary of State today, exceeding the requirements for the issue to appear on the November 7, 2023, election ballot.
So far, twenty-three states across the nation have enacted measures to regulate marijuana for adult use, and the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol hopes Ohio will be the twenty-fourth.
“Our issue will authorize the possession and use of marijuana by adults 21 and over and provide a framework for the state to ensure proper regulation and fair taxation,” said Coalition spokesman Tom Haren.
“This isn’t ground-breaking,” continued Haren. “We’re just trying to get Ohio in line with neighbors like Michigan and Illinois.”
Implementing best practices learned from the states that already regulate marijuana sales, the citizen-initiated statute would authorize the Department of Commerce to regulate the industry and impose a new 10% tax on adult-use marijuana sales, generating new tax revenue to the state that will be reinvested into local communities throughout Ohio.
“We want to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to how the state regulates alcohol sales and consumption. We’re ready to end the prohibition and let Ohioans responsibly use marijuana just like people in half of the country already do. It’s just common sense.”
The Coalition will now wait for the Ohio Secretary of State and local Boards of Election to verify the signatures. Once the petitions are certified, the initiated statute will appear on the November 7, 2023 ballot.
