(RepublicanView.org) – Cannabis legalization campaigners in Ohio have succeeded in getting the issue onto a ballot paper. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol gathered 127,772 signatures from across the state, and the question will be put to voters in November. Ohioans will be asked if they agree to allow people to legally grow and sell marijuana to anyone over the age of 21. Growers would be permitted six plants, and there would be a 10% tax on sales.
According to a statement, Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol leader Tom Haren expressed gratitude to the people of Ohio for getting the measure this far and said they were “excited” to bring it forward in November.
According to at least one survey, the measure has solid chances of passing. A Suffolk University/USA Today poll in July 2023 showed that 58% of Ohio residents support legalizing cannabis – including three-quarters of Democrats, 60% of independents, and 40% of Republicans.
The move could be lucrative for the Buckeye State as analysis from Ohio State University found it could generate up to $450 million in tax revenue.
Whether to legalize cannabis will not be the only extra question Ohio voters are asked in November. Abortion is also on the ballot. Abortion advocates met the requirements to have their question posed to the electorate and voters will be asked if they agree to codify abortion rights into the state constitution.
If passed, the measure will establish the right to abortion until the fetus can survive without the mother, usually at around 24 weeks. Ohio has a six-week abortion ban in place that was instituted immediately after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Democrats are promoting the new proposals with Party Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters saying politicians are out-of-touch and “relentlessly attacking women’s fundamental rights, and inserting themselves into women’s personal, medical decisions,” according to The Hill.
A coalition of abortion rights groups gathered over 700,000 signatures to get the question on November’s ballot.
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