US Senator Sherrod Brown (D, Ohio), Chair of the powerful Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, has announced that he has voted in support of Issue 2 to legalize marijuana.
(Photo credit: Ting Shen/Bloomberg).
“Connie and I just voted early today at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections”, Brown said in a post on the social media platform X. “She’s given me permission to share how she voted.” After stating that he voted in favor of Issue 1 to protect reproductive rights for women, he stated that “We also both voted for Issue 2. We urge people to vote.”
Brown told local news outlet Spectrum News 1 that they “voted to legalize because we thought overall regulation—legalization and regulation of marijuana use—the public would be safer doing it that way.”
Brown said that “It was a hard decision”, saying that he and his wife “spent a lot of time talking about it.”
Brown hasn’t been shy about supporting changes in the nation’s marijuana law – the Senate Banking Committee that he chairs passed a federal marijuana banking act in September with his support – but this is the first time he has shown clear support for fully legalizing marijuana.
If passed into law, Issue 2 would legalize the personal possession of marijuana and marijuana concentrates for those 21 and older, with the possession limit being 2.5 ounces for the former and 15 grams for the latter. The personal cultivation of up to six marijuana plants at a private residence would also be allowed
The initiative would allow licensed marijuana retail outlets, overseen by a newly-created Division of Cannabis Control.
According to polling release last month, 57% of likely Ohio voters plan to vote “Yes” on Issue 2. Separate polling released in August came to a similar conclusion, finding that 59% of likely voters support the initiative.
The fate of Issue 2 will be decided during the November 7 election. We will post results on TheMarijuanaHerald.com as soon as they are available.
