COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans may vote in November on whether the state should legalize and regulate recreational marijuana.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol on Wednesday submitted more than 222,000 signatures from voters in 88 counties to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office. The organization says they met the requirement for the issue to appear in the Nov. 7 election.
The measure would allow the possession and use of marijuana by adults 21 and over if passed. The Ohio Department of Commerce would also be authorized to regulate the industry and impose a new 10% tax on adult-use marijuana sales.
“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,” said Coalition spokesperson Tom Haren.
The spokesperson added that the coalition wants Ohio to have similar regulations in place like Michigan and Illinois.
LaRose will have to verify the signatures, making sure they’re all from registered voters and whether there are no duplicate signatures.
The recreation marijuana petition was turned in on the same day as the signatures for the abortion enshrinement measure. That initiative would modify Ohio’s constitution to establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits.”
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