COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a single stroke, Ohio voters rejected a ballot proposal Tuesday to legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical use.
Failure of the proposed state constitutional amendment followed an expensive campaign, a legal fight over its ballot wording and an investigation into the proposal’s petition signatures.
The measure known as Issue 3 on the ballot would have allowed adults 21 and older to use, purchase or grow certain amounts of marijuana. The constitutional amendment would have established a regulatory and taxation scheme while creating a network of 10 growing facilities. That feature was a target of opponents as well as a separate ballot question aimed at preventing monopolies from being inserted into Ohio’s constitution for the economic benefits of a few.
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The pro-legalization ResponsibleOhio campaign spent at least $12 million on ads. But it faced opposition from a well-organized, diverse coalition of opponents that includes children’s hospitals, business organizations and farmers.
Critics said the proposal’s arrangement would amount to an economic monopoly designed for personal gain.
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Turnout was low as early presidential politicking largely overshadowed campaigns and exacerbated voter disinterest that generally accompanies an off-year election.
Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and Alaska, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana.
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