Ohio voters pass Issue 2 by 57.19% to 42.81%, making Ohio the 24th state to legalize adult-use cannabis

On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters approved Issue 2—An Act to Control and Regulate Adult Use Cannabis—by a wide margin of 57.19% Yes (2,226,399 votes) to 42.81% No (1,666,316 votes), making Ohio the 24th U.S. state to legalize recreational cannabis for adults aged 21 and older.

How 2023’s Issue 2 reversed Ohio’s 2015 defeat

In November 2015, Ohio voters had rejected an earlier legalization amendment (Issue 3) by 64% to 36% because it would have written a commercial cultivation monopoly for ten wealthy investor groups directly into the Ohio Constitution. By contrast, 2023’s Issue 2 was drafted as an ordinary citizen-initiated statute modeled on neighboring Michigan’s competitive licensing framework.

What took effect on December 7, 2023—and when sales opened

• Personal possession: Starting thirty days after the election on December 7, 2023, adults 21 and older could legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis flower and up to 15 grams of cannabis extract.
• Home cultivation: Issue 2 legalized growing up to 6 cannabis plants per adult, with an initial cap of 12 plants per household (where two or more adults reside) in an enclosed, locked space out of public view. (The Ohio General Assembly later revisited home-grow caps and intoxication rules in 2025–2026 via SB 56.)
• Retail sales launch: Operating through dual-licensed medical dispensaries overseen by the Division of Cannabis Control, adult-use retail sales launched across Ohio on August 6, 2024.