New Poll Reveals Nearly 60% of Ohio Voters Support Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Measure

Ohio could successfully legalize adult-use cannabis this November, according to new polling data released this week.

The poll, 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. Results showed that nearly 60%, or three in five Ohioans, support the adult-use legalization measure, which will appear on the ballot this fall as Issue 2.

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“Our supporters come from all backgrounds: Democrats, Republicans, veterans, patients, mothers and fathers,” Tom Haren, spokesperson for the CRMLA, said in a public statement. “They know that our plan to regulate and tax adult-use marijuana is good for Ohio and good for Ohioans. This poll shows that when it comes to marijuana, Ohio voters’ opinion is clear. I feel confident we’ll see that in the election results.”

The poll revealed that 59% of voters surveyed support or lean in support of Issue 2, while 36% oppose it, according to a press release. A majority of Independents back the measure, as well as four in five Democrats. Sixty-four percent of “liberal/moderate Republicans” and 40% of “conservative Republicans” support the issue, the release stated.

In addition, two-thirds of voters support legalization in principle, with a majority responding that they do so “strongly.” Two-thirds also believe that cannabis legalization in Ohio is “inevitable.”

RELATED: Ohio 2023 Adult-Use Ballot Measure Fact Sheet

The poll also asked respondents to weigh in on Ohio’s medical cannabis program, which launched in 2019. Nearly two-thirds of Ohioans said they approve of the medical cannabis system, according to the poll results.

If approved in the Nov. 7 general election, Issue 2 would become effective 30 days after the election and make Ohio the 24th U.S. state to legalize adult-use cannabis. As a statutory measure, Issue 2 requires lawmakers to write legislation to enact the new law.