Pre-Election Support For Marijuana Legalization In Ohio And Election Results (2015)

Responsible Ohio’s attempt to legalize marijuana, which appeared as Issue 3 on the November 3, 2015 ballot, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters despite strong support for medical marijuana and majority support for recreational legalization.

The reasons for the measure’s failure include:

• Holding the election on an odd-year where voter turnout, especially among marijuana-supporting Millennials is always low
• Concern about the 10 producer oligopoly which some legalization supporters strongly opposed
• Failure to win the support of most marijuana advocacy organizations who have extensive experience passing legalization initiatives

This assessment should be something for other groups to consider as they pursue their own legalization initiatives.