Legalizing recreational marijuana could be on the November ballot in Ohio alongside a reproductive rights amendment — which could bode well for those hoping to legalize cannabis, News From The States reports. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol is trying to get a citizen initiative on the ballot that would legalize and regulate cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana to Ohioans 21 and up. The coalition came up just short of collecting enough valid signatures and now has submitted nearly ten times the needed total to make up the difference of the needed 124,046 signatures to get on the November ballot.
Because the marijuana proposal was submitted through a citizen-initiated statute, it is not an amendment to Ohio’s constitution and was not affected by last week’s 57-43 defeat of Issue 1. The marijuana initiative could be indirectly affected by the other issue on the November ballot: abortion rights. Ohioans will vote on Nov. 7 whether abortion and other reproductive rights such as fertility treatment and contraception should be enshrined in the constitution, an issue expected to drive voters to the polls. “The failure of Issue 1 really, really is going to create a massive turnout in November and the people that I think would be likely to vote on that abortion issue would also be more likely to vote positively on the recreational marijuana issue,” said David Waxman, a Cleveland attorney. The marijuana initiative would also legalize home grow for Ohioans 21 and up with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence, and impose a 10% tax for each transaction.