Ohio Votes Against Legalization of Marijuana

On November 3, 2015, the voters in the State of Ohio voted against Issue 3 for the legalization of recreational and medicinal marijuana. In the past three years, the states of Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia have all passed the legalization of recreational marijuana.

The vast majority of these states started by legalizing medicinal marijuana. Although the parties in Ohio responsible for bringing this vote were extremely sophisticated and created a remarkable marketing and public relations campaign, I believe that the initiative fell short due to their aggressive nature of attempting to create a monopoly and also requesting legalization of medicinal and recreational at the same time.

Those who are in support of the legalization of marijuana should look to the States of Colorado and Washington and learn from the mistakes that were made. If the State of Ohio hopes to one day pass a recreational marijuana law, they should start with a medicinal marijuana law controlled by the State. They should also leave out any monopoly that could be created on this issue. Due to the upcoming presidential election, there will be a significant amount of voter turnout in 2016.

The proponents for the legalization of marijuana should realize that the vast majority of the additional turnout on a presidential election will vote for legalization and should turn their attention to passing legislation in the 2016 race. Our Firm is able to help those groups strategize and advise on the past experiences in the States of Colorado and Washington and facilitate a transition to the legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana in the State of Ohio. For additional information, please contact us at 330.762.7477.