Gov. Mike DeWine wants changes to Issue 2 to do legal marijuana 'the Ohio way'

Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday called for changes to Issue 2 to address children's safety and public smoking but said the state must ultimately respect Ohioans who voted for legal marijuana.

Fifty-seven percent of voters on Tuesday approved a law to allow adults 21 and older to buy, possess and grow marijuana, according to unofficial election results. The measure goes into effect Dec. 7, and DeWine said he's asked the Legislature to make tweaks before it becomes official.

"What the people have clearly told us is they want legal marijuana in Ohio," DeWine told reporters after an event in Columbus. "We are going to see that they have that, but we've also got to live up to our responsibility to all the people in the state of Ohio, whether they voted for it or voted against it ... that we do this in a very responsible way, we do it in a respectful way. And we do it, frankly, the Ohio way."

More: When can I buy marijuana in Ohio? What to know about new recreational law

DeWine outlined several goals, although they didn't come with specific policy proposals:

• Protect children from marijuana advertising and edibles. Ohio and other states with recreational marijuana prohibit sales to minors, but cases of children younger than 6 who ingested edibles have increased exponentially since 2017, according to National Poison Data System data.

• Ensure Ohio doesn't see an uptick in people driving under the influence of marijuana.

• Limit the public's exposure to marijuana smoke.

"I had the experience a month or so ago being in some unnamed state, you walked around the city and there was a rare time when you were not smelling marijuana," DeWine said. "The voters have said people have a right to smoke marijuana − that's fine. But other people have the right not to smell it and not to have their kids and grandkids exposed to it."

Issue 2 prohibits people from using marijuana in "public areas," but it allows property owners and "any public place" to decide for themselves whether to accommodate marijuana use. Business leaders contend this language is unclear, while the law's backers compare it to alcohol: You generally can't drink on a sidewalk, but you can in a licensed bar or restaurant.

Smoking marijuana specifically falls under the state's smoking ban, meaning people can't smoke in most public, indoor spaces.

What's next?

DeWine's comments came days after Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, promised their own changes to Issue 2. They want to look at tax rates, revenue distribution and THC content caps, among other provisions, but neither signaled that they plan to push for a total repeal.

"I can't believe in 2023 we're actually talking about elected officials not respecting the will of the voters and not respecting the outcome of an election," Tom Haren, a spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said on Tuesday. "I expect, I think that every single voter in Ohio has a right to expect, that elected officials will implement and respect the will of voters."

The governor said he's meeting with Huffman and Stephens on Monday. Spokesmen for the two GOP leaders did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It's unclear whether lawmakers have the time to enact changes before Issue 2 becomes law. The Senate is currently scheduled to meet twice before Dec. 7, while the House has four sessions on the calendar. But DeWine said it's important to give Ohio voters clarity on what they can expect.

"There's a lot of holes in what was passed," DeWine said. "I think (it) would be good if that was all done and done by the 7th so that we're not in a situation of taking something away from people. We're not in a situation of telling them, 'For X number of days it's going to be one thing, and then an X number of days after that it's going to be something else."

Reporter Jessie Balmert contributed.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gov. Mike DeWine calls for changes to marijuana law after Issue 2 vote