Ohio to Vote on Marijuana Legalization in November
The Buckeye state will put pot legalization to the ballot on Nov. 3, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted confirmed. Putting marijuana legalization on the ballot took a couple tries Ohio's first attempt failed, but pro-pot advocate group ResponsibleOhio, a driving force behind the initiative, pulled through with the minimum 305,591 signatures. The group's investors pledged to spend at least 20 million to convince Ohioans to vote for legalization. If the measure passes, however, legalization might take a while in June, the Ohio Legislature hurriedly placed a measure, Issue 2, that prohibited "a monopoly, oligopoly or cartel" in Ohio of federally-controlled substances like marijuana. The ResponsibleOhio initiative calls for a limit to pot production by ten farms, which state legislators argue might constitute an oligopoly. Ohio follows ballot initiatives from across the country. Thus far, recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. 28 states make exceptions for medical marijuana.