Advocates reach agreement with lawmakers to renew ballot qualification push for adult-use legalization in 2023

In December of 2021, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, a ballot initiative campaign to legalize cannabis for adults, announced that it submitted 206,943 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State in the first phase of petitioning for its proposed ballot measure.. After review, state officials deemed that an insufficient number of signatures were valid. Additional signatures were collected in January of this year to make up the difference.

Based on a technicality regarding the timing requirements for ballot petition signature drives, lawmakers in Ohio who oppose legalization planned to file a lawsuit aiming to block the measure from the November 2022 ballot. In May of this year, campaign leaders reached an agreement with legislators to halt the lawsuit and delay the possibility of ballot qualification until 2023, which will give the state legislature an opportunity to act on legalization in next year’s legislative session. In addition to the ballot initiative, multiple legislative proposals to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults have been introduced.

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Marijuana laws in Ohio

After MPP and other advocates in the state mobilized behind a ballot referendum, state lawmakers passed a law to establish a medical cannabis program for Ohioans in 2016. As of May 2022, the program benefits nearly 300,000 registered patients throughout the state. For more information on Ohio’s medical marijuana program and access to patient forms and other resources, visit Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program’s website. And, for an overview of the current medical marijuana law, see our summary.

For individuals who are not registered as a medical marijuana patients, possession of less than 100 grams (or about 3.5 ounces), giving 20 grams or less of marijuana to another person, or growing less than 100 grams of marijuana are each considered “minor misdemeanors,” punishable by a maximum fine of $150. A minor misdemeanor is not a “jailable” offense, but a person’s driver’s license can be suspended for a period ranging from six months to five years.

In recent years, efforts to decriminalize marijuana possession at the local level in cities around Ohio have been met with success. During the 2020 Election, voters in four more Ohio cities approved cannabis decriminalization measures, joining 18 other municipalities in the state that have enacted similar initiatives. More and more Ohioans are ready for change and believe that marijuana should be legal for adults. They see that marijuana prohibition has failed and only undermines public health and safety. It’s time for Ohio to move forward, stop arresting people for marijuana, and adopt a sensible system of legalization.

Let your legislators know it's time law enforcement stopped wasting time punishing adults for choosing a safer alternative to alcohol.

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