Ohio voters pass Issues 1 and 2

Kate Shields, Meghan Beery
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 03:09:08 +0000
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Both Issues 1 and 2 passed on Tuesday, guaranteeing access to reproductive healthcare and legalizing marijuana in Ohio, respectively. Credit: Office of the Ohio Secretary of State

The majority of Ohioans lined the polls Tuesday to cast their “yes” votes on Issues 1 and 2, preserving the right to reproductive health care throughout the state as well as legalizing marijuana.?

Issue 1, which will amend the Ohio Constitution in order to guarantee access to reproductive health care including contraceptive access, miscarriage care, fertility services and abortion, was one of the nation’s highest-profile contests on this year’s ballot, and Ohio is the only state this year to consider the question of statewide abortion rights, according to the Associated Press.

While those in support of abortion rights had a “fundraising advantage” during this year’s campaign, that did not stop the issue’s opponents from “trying to frame the issue for voters,” according to the AP.?

2022’s midterm elections showed that 59 percent of voters supported abortion being legal in most or all cases, according to AP VoteCast, and the Aug. 8 election, in which voters rejected a change that would increase the simple majority threshold to pass Ohio constitutional amendments to 60 percent, showed that 57 percent of voters supported “the position generally backed by abortion rights advocates, while 43 percent sided with the position generally adopted by abortion rights opponents,” according to the AP.?

Issue 2, which does not amend the state constitution, will “legalize and regulate the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home grow, and use of cannabis” for individuals 21 and older through a statute. Eligible adults can buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of extract as well as grow up to six plants individually.

Additionally, the issue establishes the state Division of Cannabis Control and a 10 percent sales tax on marijuana, with portions of the revenue going to funds including the cannabis social equity and jobs fund and the substance abuse and addiction fund.?

Ohio is the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana, according to the AP. The law will become effective Dec. 7 and can be altered by the state legislature.

For more information on both issues, click here.?