Ohio voters will decide this fall whether to legalize marijuana in the Buckeye State for recreational and medical use.
ResponsibleOhio’s marijuana legalization constitutional amendment was certified Wednesday by the Ohio secretary of state. It will appear as Issue 3 on the statewide ballot for the general election on Nov. 3.
If approved by voters, Ohio would be the fifth state to legalize marijuana for recreational use and the first to do so without first having a medical marijuana program.
“It’s time for marijuana legalization in Ohio, and voters will have the opportunity to make it happen this November — we couldn’t be more excited,” ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James said in a statement. “Drug dealers don’t care about doing what’s best for our state and its citizens. By reforming marijuana laws in November, we’ll provide compassionate care to sick Ohioans, bring money back to our local communities and establish a new industry with limitless economic development opportunities.”
ResponsibleOhio had to submit at least 305,591 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters, meeting a certain threshold in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The group initially fell short of that goal but was able to exceed it with a second batch of signatures.
Of the 91,541 supplemental signatures submitted by ResponsibleOhio, 44,185 were determined valid. That number was added to the 276,082 valid signatures submitted on June 30 for a total of 320,267 valid signatures. The group reported spending nearly $2.5 million through June to collect signatures.
The issue now heads to the Ohio Ballot Board, a bipartisan panel led by Secretary of State Jon Husted, which will write the amendment summary for the ballot.
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