(8-18-23) An Ohio proposal to legalize recreational adult use of marijuana was cleared this week to appear on statewide ballots in November after the state Legislature failed to act on it.

The proposal if passed would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home.

A 10% tax would be imposed on purchases, to be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment programs, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs.

10% cannabis tax rate on adult-use sales that will be used for:

  • Social Equity and Jobs Programs (36%) – potential to generate an estimated $150 million or more annually for social equity and jobs programs in Ohio, making this one of the most robust social equity provisions of any cannabis law in the country
  • Funding for Dispensary Host Communities (36%) – potential to generate $150 million or more annually for the communities who have adult-use cannabis dispensaries, making this one of the largest contributions to communities in Ohio history
  • Addiction Treatment and Education(25%) – potential to generate $104 million or more annually to research and treat substance abuse in Ohio, one of the leading causes of deaths in Ohio
  • Regulatory and Administrative Costs(3%) – a small portion would go to the Division of Cannabis Control to fund the regulatory and administrative costs of overseeing the adult use cannabis industry in Ohio

Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose determined that the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had submitted 127,772 valid signatures, more than the 124,046 needed to put the question before voters on Nov. 7.

Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is an effort to encourage Ohio legislators to regulate marijuana for adult-use, just like we do for alcohol. Our proposal fixes a broken system while ensuring local control, keeping marijuana out of the hands of children, and benefitting everyone.

Marijuana has been legal for medical use in the state since 2016.