Ohio votes against Pot Monopoly

[n2doc]

By Marc Kovac

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COLUMBUS

Ohioans torpedoed a proposal to regulate marijuana use in the state, countering a big-money campaign that sought to legalize pot for medicinal and recreational uses.

About two-thirds of those casting ballots voted against Issue 3, according to preliminary results posted by the secretary of state’s office Tuesday night.

But backers vowed to continue efforts to legalize marijuana in the state.

“This was the first step to legalization,” said Ian James, executive director of ResponsibleOhio, the group behind Issue 3. “We’re not going away. ... We’re going to make sure that we provide that legal marijuana for Ohio and that we do so starting tomorrow.”

Issue 3 opponents also appeared to be successful in convincing voters to block future efforts to add business monopolies to the state constitution — Issue 2 was passing, 52 percent to 48 percent, with 77 percent of precincts reporting.

- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/nov/04/ohio-issues-pot-effort-goes-up-in-smoke/#sthash.UKzBa0RK.dpuf