Ohio Issue 2: Ohio voters to decide on legalizing recreational marijuana
Ohio voters will decide Tuesday whether the Buckeye State should be the latest to legalize recreational marijuana.
Issue 2 would allow adults 21 and older to buy, possess and grow cannabis. Products would be taxed 10% on top of the state sales tax, with revenue going into four pots: a social equity and jobs program, municipalities with dispensaries, a substance abuse fund and administrative costs.
Live election results
We will have live results here starting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
For: 0
Against: 0
Precincts reporting: 0
What is Ohio Issue 2? What to know about November ballot issue to legalize recreational marijuana
What would Issue 2 do?
Allow medical marijuana businesses in Ohio to grow, process or sell recreational products.
Award cultivation and dispensary licenses through the social equity program, which aims to help business owners who have been disproportionately affected by prohibition. That includes those who have been arrested or convicted of marijuana crimes.
Task the Division of Cannabis Control with setting rules for licensing, testing, product standards and more. As part of that, the division would set a THC content cap of at least 35% for plant material and 90% for extracts.
Prohibit driving while high and sales to people under 21.
If passed, Issue 2 would make Ohio the 24th state to legalize adult-use marijuana − something proponents say is long overdue. Critics worry the program could endanger children, increase traffic accidents and create headaches for employers trying to hire.
Ohio voters rejected a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in 2015. The measure pushed by ResponsibleOhio would have limited marijuana cultivation to 10 properties, which critics panned as a way for select people to control the industry. The same year, voters approved an amendment to prevent groups from using the constitution to create a monopoly, oligopoly or cartel.
This time around, the marijuana proposal is an initiated statute. That means Ohio lawmakers can − and probably will − make changes if it passes, although a total repeal is unlikely. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had spent just over $818,000 on its campaign as of mid-October − a far cry from the $20 million spent by ResponsibleOhio in 2015.
How to vote in Ohio on Tuesday
Ohioans who vote in-person on Tuesday must present an unexpired photo ID to cast a ballot. You can visit voteohio.gov to find your polling location, view a sample ballot and more.
Polls are open until 7:30 p.m., and anyone in line by then can still vote. If you haven't mailed your completed absentee ballot, you can bring it to your county board of elections before polls close.
Read more about Ohio Issue 2
Who's behind Ohio Issue 2? Marijuana businesses that will benefit from it
Ohio GOP leaders don't like recreational marijuana. What happens if voters say yes to it?
Ohio Issue 2 wouldn't expunge marijuana convictions. Here's what it does instead
Michigan marijuana shops make money off Ohio consumers. Issue 2 could change that
Group behind Ohio Issue 2 gets boost from marijuana industry ahead of Nov. 7 election
This story will be updated.Check back here for Issue 2 results after polls close.
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: Ohio Issue 2 live results: State votes on recreational marijuana
