With voting time coming around again in November, voters are once again looking over the upcoming ballot. However, this year will have a new topic to vote on in Ohio. Specifically, certain Ohio cities will be voting on the idea of marijuana decriminalization. It is the hope of activists that this will lead to Ohio joining the other states in decriminalization.

Past Attempts

In 2015, Ohio voters rejected a legalization initiative that even reform advocates opposed. This was because the passing of the initiative would have granted exclusive control over cannabis to those who were putting the measure on the ballot.

Current Situation

At time of writing, 22 jurisdictions across the state of Ohio have adopted local marijuana decriminalization laws. Voter initiatives were responsible for some of the jurisdictions adding these laws, while city councils caused the rest. Currently, activists are working to collect signatures to qualify cannabis proposals. It is their hope that this will reduce the local punishment for low-level marijuana possession to the lowest penalty allowed under the law. This specifically meant that there would be zero days in jail and a fine of zero dollars.

Though the wording will be different depending on where people are voting, each ballot will include the question on whether or not the voter thinks lawmakers should decriminalize cannabis.

Looking Forward

Regardless of the past attempts and what the activists are attempting now, activists have already clearded a separate campaign to begin collecting signatures for a 2022 ballot initiative. This initiative is focused on trying to legalize marijuana statewide.

Disclaimer

For clarification, decriminalization doesn’t mean that cannabis will be legal. Decriminalization means that the punishment for the crime is diminished, but it is still considered illegal.

Hope

With the push to decriminalization going forward, it is the activists’ hope that this will be another step towards complete legalization. At this time, however, they have to focus on decriminalization and hope it leads to more.

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