Ohio to vote on cannabis legalization in November

The activist group Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMA), based in Ohio, secured approval for a citizens’ initiative aimed at legalizing the cultivation, production, testing, and sale of cannabis for residents over the age of 21.

In July, the activists submitted 123,367 signatures to qualify for the November election, but they actually needed 124,046 signatures. «It seems we fell a little short in this first phase, but we now have 10 days to find 679 voters who will sign an additional petition—this will be easy, since a majority of Ohioans support our proposal to regulate and tax adult cannabis use ,» said CRMA spokesperson Tom Haren at the time.

The activists worked hard to collect the remaining 679 signatures and submitted 6,545 so that the initiative could be put to a vote.

Tom Haren is confident about the success of cannabis legalization. «We’ve always believed that our issue is popular and that it will be supported regardless of the election date or who we’re on the ballot with,» he said.

According to a recent survey According to a survey conducted by the University of Suffolk, 59 % of voters support the legalization of cannabis possession and sale.

An article published by researchers at the’Ohio State University, entitled « What Tax Revenues Should Ohioans Expect If Ohio Legalizes Adult-Use Cannabis » (What tax revenue should Ohians expect if Ohio legalizes adult-use cannabis?) revealed that Ohio could collect up to $403.6 million in annual tax revenue if cannabis were legalized. This is the second time researchers have published a report on the potential impact of legalization in Ohio; a previous report estimated that the state could earn between $276.2 million (last year’s estimate) and $403.6 million after five years of legalization.

«Although these projections are subject to various assumptions, other states» experiences with tax revenue support the claim that Ohio is likely to generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue from a mature adult-use market,« the researchers write. »By way of comparison, for fiscal year 2021, Ohio’s casinos generated gross tax revenue of more than $300 million, so it is possible that cannabis sales in Ohio could generate tax revenue comparable to what is currently collected through the tax on casinos’ gross revenue.”

»The researchers concluded that these estimates of annual cannabis tax revenue would be impressive, but that they would represent only a small percentage of Ohio's annual budget of more than $60 billion."

In 2020, the only an initiative offering Ohioans to vote on the legalization of cannabis was rejected due to a lack of signatures valid.