Poll reconfirms most Ohioans plan to vote “yes” on weed control measure in November

A survey commissioned by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA) – the campaign supporting the ballot initiative – and conducted by FM3 Research surveyed likely November voters in mid-August, specifically asking about their stance on enacting recreational cannabis laws for the Buckeye state.

The results found that about three in five Ohio voters support the cannabis legalization measure set to appear on the November ballot, and nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believe legalizing adult-use cannabis in Ohio is “inevitable”.

Most Ohioans support November’s adult-use cannabis measure

The survey included a total of 843 interviews with Ohio voters expected to vote in the November election, through phone calls, emails and text invitations.

Nearly two-thirds of voters approved of the state’s medical cannabis system (63% overall, with 29% “strongly agreeing” and 34% “somewhat agreeing”), a slight decrease from the overall figure of 70% in September 2020. When asked: “Do you believe marijuana should be taxed, regulated and legalized for adults in Ohio, regardless of how you feel about this particular measure?” 67% agreed (50% strongly and 17% somewhat), again a slight decrease from the 71% in 2022 and the 73% in 2020.

The survey also asked Ohioans whether they believe cannabis legalization is “inevitable” in the state, regardless of how they personally feel about adult use of cannabis. 63 percent said “yes.”

The survey then examined the specific measure for the upcoming election.

A total of 59% of respondents said “yes” that they planned to vote for the upcoming cannabis measure – albeit in different forms. 38 percent said “definitely yes,” 17 percent said “probably yes,” and 5 percent said “undecided, lean yes.”

About Ohio’s adult-use cannabis measure

This ballot measure would legalize the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults over the age of 21, as well as up to 15 grams of cannabis concentrate. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, for a maximum of 12 plants per household. The measure would also impose a 10% sales tax on cannabis sales, with revenue split to support social equity and employment programs (36%), places that allow adult-use cannabis businesses to operate in the area (36%), education and substance abuse to support programs (25%) and administrative costs for implementing the system (3%).

The measure would also create a Division of Cannabis Control at the state Department of Commerce with the authority to “license, regulate, investigate and penalize operators of adult-use cannabis, adult-use testing laboratories and persons requiring a license.” .

Current medical cannabis businesses would also enjoy a head start in the recreational market as regulators would begin issuing adult-use licenses to qualified applicants operating existing medical cannabis businesses within nine months of enactment. The department would also be required to issue 40 recreational cultivation licenses and 50 adult-use retail licenses, with preference given to applications under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.

Municipalities would also be allowed to opt out of allowing new recreational cannabis businesses to operate in the area. However, they would not be able to prevent existing medical cannabis companies from expanding to add adult-use operations there. Employers would also be allowed to maintain policies prohibiting employees from using recreational cannabis.

In line with other recent surveys

The results themselves state that the results are “remarkably consistent” with other recently published surveys.

One of the most recent polls conducted by Fallon Research and released in August found that 59% of voters said they would vote yes on the initiative. That poll also used colloquial ballot language to solicit responses, pointing to the specific policy changes Ohioans could expect if they had voted “yes.”

Another recent poll from Suffolk University also found that 59% of voters support legalizing cannabis possession and sales for adults.

A recent study shows that the adult consumption market could also offer potential for significant tax increases. The study, conducted by Ohio State University, suggests the state could generate between $275 million and $403 million in adult-use tax revenue by the fifth year of operation if voters opt for legalization.

The most current survey data can be found here.