Ohio Votes to Legalize Weed

Ohio on Tuesday became the 24th state to legalize adult use of cannabis for non-medical reasons. Voters approved the measure to legalize recreational pot for those 21 and over, the AP reports. The law, which allows for the possession and purchasing of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis as well as the ability to grow it at home, takes effect December 7, the Columbus Dispatch reports. "Marijuana is no longer a controversial issue," said a spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. "Ohioans demonstrated this by passing State Issue 2 in a landslide." The new law prohibits driving while high.

Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2016, NBC News reports, and the new law allows medical marijuana businesses to also grow and sell weed for recreational use. Republicans in the state, along with business and manufacturing organizations concerned about its impact on workplace and traffic safety, had opposed the measure, and as the AP points out, "as a citizen-initiated statute, the law is subject to change. Republicans ... are free to make tweaks to the law—or even repeal it, though the political stakes are higher now that the voters have approved it." (Also in Ohio Tuesday, voters approved abortion protections.)