Ohioans will decide next Tuesday on Issue 3, the Marijuana Legalization Amendment, and recent polls indicate that voters are evenly divided on the issue.
Bowling Green State University polling data released late last week finds 44 percent of respondents supporting the measure and 43 percent opposing it. Thirteen percent of respondents are undecided.
By contrast, the Bowling Green poll reports that 56 percent of respondents favor Issue 2, a counter-measure placed on the ballot by state lawmakers to prohibit state regulators from permitting the limited production of “any Schedule I controlled substance.”
A separate poll, conducted by the University of Akron, also reports that voters are split on Issue 3, with 46 percent of respondents favoring the measure and 46 percent opposing it. The poll reports that voters are far more informed about Issue 3 than other ballot issues, including Issue 2, which voters back by a margin of 40 percent to 28 percent (with 32 percent undecided).
The latest polling data differs from survey data released earlier this month by WKYC/Kent State Polling, which reported that 56 percent of voters backed Issue 3.
If both competing measures (Issue 3 and Issue 2) are passed by voters, it will likely be up to the courts to decide which initiative takes precedence.
Issue 3 is not perfect – the limits on production make me a bit uneasy. But our elected officials in Columbus have dragged their feet long enough, so I am voting FOR 3 and AGAINST 2. Over 20 states have already legalized medical marijuana and 4 have legalized recreational marijuana. Why should Ohio continue to be behind the times?
As a legalization supporter, Issue 3 is good enough for me, and I think this is out best chance for reform, perfect or not. Were our folks in the state house ready to take action I might not feel so strongly, but they refuse to act and would rather put forth a poorly crafted Issue 2 to thwart our voices than represent us.
Art of War – Fighting back against Middle Eastern Terrorism – Vote Yes on Issue 3 and No on Issue 2. One thing that will happen is Ohio will make more tax revenue from marijuana grown and sold legally in Ohio instead of it being imported from other countries where Ohio does not see any tax revenue generated from the out of country sales of marijuana. Grown in Ohio by Ohioans, For Ohioans. Voting Yes on Issue 3 and No on Issue 2 is one step closer to taking back our country from foreign influences. Foreign influences such as money being made by terrorist groups in the Middle East. Voting Yes on Issue 3 and No on Issue 2 is part of the War On Terror…You don’t tread on us terrorism…not on us…Do your part Ohio.
The fact that this legalizes marijuana should be the least important issue at stake. Far more important is that it grants 10 monopolies to 10 wealthy individuals or groups who have used their wealth to buy votes and create even greater wealth for themselves. How can anybody that considers income inequality a major problem be in favor of this issue?
If we are going to legalize marijuana, lets do it in a responsible way, and not in a way that enshrines 10 groups in our Constitution, granting them special favors at the expense of all Ohioans.
[Editor’s note: 1) Ten producers (with over 1,000 retail outlets) is not a monopoly, 2) Ten producers having ten or more sub-licensees is not a monopoly (ie, up to 100 producers), 3) is it not better public policy and safety to stop paying criminals for cannabis rather than tax-paying businesses, 4) voting in Ohio against #3 is a vote to extend the racially disparate mass marijuana arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations.
How is it the ‘responsible way’ to vote to keep pot prohibition in place in Ohio when given the opportunity to end it post haste?
The responsible thing to do when a voter in favor of ending cannabis prohibition is confronted with a legalization initiative is to…vote for it. Otherwise, pot prohibition goes on and on.]
Please, Pray: TELL Saint Fiacre to “Pray for Ohio”! He will know what to do. (died August 18, 670 AD – accused of whichcraft because of the herbs that he gardened… He’s able to make this Election Initiative win, in this close call!) Thank you!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Fiacre#
Sorry I had to vote no,.. If it was solely for medicinal issues I would have voted for it.. That is where the fight should have been.. I have enough idiots at work walking around carrying U-pass synthetic piss.. Don’t need any more..
Whatever the results of tonights’ election in Ohio I just want to say how proud I am of the whole NORML establishment, board of directors and local chapters for seeing the tiger from the trees and helping shed disinfecting light through education that issue 3 is waaaay better than allowing issue 2 and the Devil’s chaos that legislators brought with it. Reading some of the pathetic attempts here to ignore the delay of safe, life-saving effective medicine or the emancipation of nonviolent prisoners for simple possession of marijuana by butchering the definition of a monopoly. I’m surprised I didn’t read that if we didnt vote yes on 2 the green monopoly guy was gonna come and make us pay for his hotels from Mediterranean Avenue to Park Place. Like were all gonna forget the square that sends the little weed plant directly to jail? And the beauty of it is no matter what happens tonight, were gonna legalize weed anyway. California just set their voter initiative officially on the ballot, and Vermont is legalizing legislatively. How does that old Stones song go? “Your time is gonna cooome..”
Ohio,
You REALLY screwed up!!!
–
ALL who voted yes on #2,
in addition to voting yes on #3,
without reading the ENTIRE text of #2!!!!!.
[doesn’t just prevent “monopolies” / oligopolies,
it ALSO forbids FUTURE legalization initiatives!!!]
–
All who were in favor of legalization,
but were duped into voting for #2,
which KILLS future cannabis legalization initiatives,
and against #3,
which would have rescinded the “illegality”
against a HELPFUL PLANT… IMMEDIATELY!!!
–
“Stoners Against Legalization”…
You’re EFFING IDIOTS!!!
– –
Perhaps #2 will still fail,
(if only by a slim margin),
so that FUTURE legalization in Ohio WON’T!!!
– –
Don’t know about that, either…
(#2 is leading slightly, 53% YES to 47% NO…)
–
Welcome to another 100 years of
cannabis illegality in Ohio…!!!
Correction, that was Zepplin. ?
I am deeply ashamed to call myself an Ohioan.
Stoners of this state that voted no need to just go crawl in a hole and disappear, because they’re all worthless. They’re either hypocrites, liars, drug dealers or brainwashed by the issue two crowd.
DAMN
Question…
How likely is another initiative to make it to the ballot next year? A buddy of mine keeps talking like it’s already set in stone.
If one does make the ballot, what kind of hoops are we looking at as far as issue 2 is concerned?
Thank you.
[Editor’s note: There is no precedent in the last 45 years in Ohio of pro-cannabis initiatives making the ballot before Responsible Ohio’s efforts. If there are future cannabis legalization initiatives in the state, the organizers of such will be wise to word the effort so as not to be construed as a ‘monopoly’, then there is not likely a conflict with #2.]
The real split is between federal monopoly (prohibition) vs state monopoly (legalization). The game well played by prohibitionist.
I just wish NORML had come out strongly in favor of Issue 3 in Ohio and certainly before a very, very short time before the election like it did. If people had seen comments like the NORML Editors here are posting now (see below), more people may have listened and voted Yes on 3 and No on 2. Many were confused by what Issue 2 would do, and assumed legalization would be on the ballot again in 2016 in a different form.
NORML had very little to say about Issue 3. We could have used your help NORML, even if you didn’t like the way Responsible Ohio was doing it.
I was depressed for days after this failed, and it was in large part because the legislators who proposed Issue 2 had lied, and their lies worked. Disgusting.
So now, I’m supposedly still a “criminal” even though I am a law-abiding citizen who has never done anything criminal against anyone.
“[Editor’s note: 1) Ten producers (with over 1,000 retail outlets) is not a monopoly, 2) Ten producers having ten or more sub-licensees is not a monopoly (ie, up to 100 producers), 3) is it not better public policy and safety to stop paying criminals for cannabis rather than tax-paying businesses, 4) voting in Ohio against #3 is a vote to extend the racially disparate mass marijuana arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations.
How is it the ‘responsible way’ to vote to keep pot prohibition in place in Ohio when given the opportunity to end it post haste?
The responsible thing to do when a voter in favor of ending cannabis prohibition is confronted with a legalization initiative is to…vote for it. Otherwise, pot prohibition goes on and on.]”