OHIO, USA — As Election Day gets closer and closer, the number of political commercials, yard signs and canvassers are on the rise.
Issue 2 asks voters to decide if Ohio should commercialize, regulate, legalize and tax the adult use of cannabis. Currently, the recreational use and possession of marijuana is legal in 23 states.
Voter Megan Schmidt supports the issue.
"We've seen it be such a success and we've seen it in other states," she said. "I mean, in Michigan the tax revenue that it's generating, I would think that in Ohio we would want something like that as well."
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine acknowledged the profit that passing the issue would bring but said other factors play into his opposition.
"I don't think it's worth the money that we're going to get because of all the other problems that it's going to create," he said.
He said other states have seen a rise in auto fatalities since more people are driving under the influence, creating more fatal crashes.
He also said he is concerned about the safety of children in Ohio.
In 2021, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank CATO Institute looked at the effects of marijuana legalization on states and found overall traffic fatalities did not spike upward after legalization. However, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska did seen an uptick in fatalities at some point after legalization.
A study from the National Library of Medicine did find an increase in unintentional cannabis exposure reported to poison centers for children after legalization.
DeWine said legalization of Issue 2 could send the wrong message to Ohio's kids.
"See it being sold legally in their state and says well, it must, obviously marijuana must be okay," he said.
Schmidt believes young voters are mostly behind the issue and said that since 10% of sales will be collected by the state, it just makes sense.
"I think it's just time in Ohio," Schmidt said.