Ohio voters could legalize marijuana use next week, polls show

By Steve Gelsi

Two separate polls in Ohio show that the Buckeye state's residents support ballot Issue No. 2 to allow adult-use cannabis that goes before voters on Nov. 7.

The Ohio Northern University's Institute for Civics and Public Policy said a web-based survey of 668 registered voters revealed 65% general support for legalized adult-use marijuana.

"Ohio appears poised to become the next state to legalize it given attitudes we are seeing about the use of recreational marijuana in the state," Robert Alexander, a political science professor at Ohio Northern University, said in a statement.

In a separate survey, Public Policy Polling reported that 59% of the electorate in Ohio support Issue No. 2.

Ohio's Issue No. 2 ballot question will allow possession of cannabis for adults over 21 as early as Dec. 7. It also calls for establishing a licensed market for cannabis.

The referendum allows state lawmakers to potentially add amendments to the law because it's structured as a statutory question rather than an amendment to the state constitution.

With a population of about 11.8 million, Ohio would be the 24th state in the U.S. to allow adult-use cannabis.

At the present time, just under 50% of the U.S. population now resides in states with regulated adult-use cannabis. If Ohio voters approve Issue No. 2, more than half of the U.S. population will be in states with legal pot for people over 21, according to the National Organization for the Repeal of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

The adult-use cannabis business is expected to generate more than 3,000 new jobs in Ohio, according to a recent study by Scioto Analysis.

Alex Valvassori, managing director of cannabis licensing solutions at Tyler Technologies Inc. (TYL), said he'd be interested in any potential state contracts to help Ohio with its regulatory and compliance efforts around cannabis. He's worked with several states on ramping up their cannabis programs.

"Some leaders have urged people not to vote for Issue No. 2 but the polls show support," he said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens."

Meanwhile, a nationwide Gallup poll last November showed that 68% of U.S. adults favor the legalization of marijuana.

Also read: Cannabis companies hire Microsoft antitrust lawyer David Boies to sue U.S. government for federal pot prohibition

-Steve Gelsi

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-01-23 1306ET

Copyright (c) 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.