Early voting is officially underway in Ohio for Issue 2, an initiative that would make marijuana legal for everyone 21 and older.
Early voting on Issue 2 began on October 11, with election day coming in just three weeks and a day, on November 7.
If passed into law, Issue 2 would legalize the personal possession of up to two and a half ounces of dried cannabis, purchasable at a licensed marijuana retail outlet. These outlets would also be allowed to see up to 15 grams per person of marijuana concentrates, and they could carry a variety of other marijuana products including edibles, tinctures and topicals.
Under the proposed law, marijuana businesses would be overseen by a newly-created Division of Cannabis Control, established as a branch of the Department of Commerce. The state would not be allowed to issue any less than 50 marijuana retail licenses. The Division of Cannabis Control would, however, be given the authority to issue more if they deem it appropriate.
Issue 2 would also allow those 21 and older to grow up to six marijuana plants at a private residence, or up to 12 plants per household if more than one person is living there.
Last week the full Ohio Senate has passed a resolution encouraging voters to reject an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana that will be voted on next month. This is despite the fact that two different polls show that marijuana legalization is supported by a strong majority of likely voters. Polling released in August by Fallon Research & Communications found that 59% of Ohio voters support legalizing marijuana, released last month by FM3 Research found that support for marijuana legalization among likely Ohio voters was even higher at 67%.
According to a recently released report, the state could gain up to $403 million in new tax revenue from the legal distribution of marijuana and marijuana products to those 21 and older.
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