Voters in the state of Ohio will enjoy the opportunity to ratify an amendment that would legalize both recreational and medicinal marijuana. The vote would take place during Ohio’s general elections in October of 2015.
The group at the forefront of the legalization movement, Responsible Ohio, recently delivered a petition to the Secretary of State of Ohio. The group suffered a brief setback when the office told the group that there were not enough valid signatures on the petition for it to be added to the election ballot. The government requested that the organizers find an extra 30,000 signatures within 10 days.
Responsible Ohio accepted the government’s challenged. It delivered the petition with an extra 95,000 signatures. This exceptional feat demonstrates that the residents of Ohio have changed their mind about the legalization of marijuana in their state. The opinions of Ohio’s voting public are politically valued. Ohio is a crucial swing state in national elections.
Despite recent success, Responsible Ohio knows that the battle is far from over. The investors behind the group may spend as much as $20 million between now and the election on 3 November. The campaign would include advertising on all platforms, a bus tour, voter registration drives and local canvassing.
The movement has also attracted not only huge numbers of voters but also talented campaigners. These campaigns worked on landmark campaigns such as President Obama’s presidential campaigns.
This movement in Ohio is not unprecedented. It has followed a phase of decriminalization of the possession of marijuana and proliferation of vape shops. Ohio and 11 other states have recently taken action to reduce marijuana related arrests and sentences over the last few years.
While decriminalization is a far cry from the open legalization that this amendment would provide, it does demonstrate that this change in population’s attitudes is not a new trend.
The popularity of the petition, excitement surrounding the campaign and moving away from harsh possession laws might suggest that a potential ballot would have the support of the popular vote. It is possible that the people of Ohio are ready to legalize marijuana. The only thing standing in their way is their current government.
As soon as the legislature caught wind of Responsible Ohio’s intentions, they quickly wrote an additional amendment for the election ballot. If passed, this amendment would ensure that marijuana would not be legalized by the state government in the future.
This battle of constitutional amendments will affect more than just Ohio’s decision to legalize marijuana. The GOP candidates who are hoping to use Ohio to their advantage in 2016 should fear this vote. A yes vote may signal that the state has once again swung to the left, despite their current Republican government.
Ohio has been a historic battleground state for national elections. While elections are not technically won based on Ohio’s electoral register, the state’s voters have a long history of picking winners. Both Republicans and Democrats should follow Ohio’s general election with interest as it may be a forecast for 2016.