DRUG POLICY
When does issue 2 go into effect in Ohio? When will it be legal for Ohioans to buy and use marijuana?
The vote in favour of the legislation from the 2023 elections means people in the state can legally buy marajuana. It is the 24th state to allow it.
Ohio had two significant votes on Tuesday. The first enshrined abortion protections in the constitution, while the second vote legalised recreational marijuana by a 57% to 43% margin.
It will become legal on 7 December. A poll conducted by Baldwin Wallace University found widespread support for the ballot measure.
“Overall, 57 percent of registered voters support the measure — including two-thirds of Democrats and 59 percent of Independents,” reported NORML, the marijuana legalization advocacy group.
What the marajuana legalisation law entails
People over 21 years old can possess marijuana up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of extracts.
Ohioans can start growing six marijuana plants each, or up to 12 plants per household all without a license. The state has nine months to issue the first licenses for growth and distribution.
The change to the law will not affect people already jailed for marajuana possession and the cannabis cannot be transported across state lines.
Legalisation of weed across the US
Weed is currently legal for medicinal use in 38 states and legal for recreational use in 23, soon to be 24. Despite this, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 Drug by the federal government, the most severe classification that includes other drugs like heroin and methamphetamine.
Pew Research completed a survey in 2022 that found that nearly 9 in 10 US adults say that marijuana should be legal for either medical and recreational use by adults.” Support for medicinal use stood at nearly 60%, with only one in ten respondents saying the drug should be illegal altogether.