How recreational marijuana will appear on Ohio’s Nov. 7 ballot

[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — The Ohio Ballot Board on Thursday approved ballot language for the November general election’s Issue 2, which allows Ohioans to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana.

The citizen-initiated statute would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to 2 1/2 ounces of cannabis. It would also levy a 10% sales tax, and provide for the drug’s regulation under the Department of Commerce.

Here’s how the issue will appear on the November ballot:

The language had unanimous approval from board members on Thursday.

“Unanimous approval by the bipartisan ballot board should assure voters that ‘What they see is what they’ll get,’” said attorney Tom Haren, spokesperson for The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which put forth the initiative. “That means: hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue and stringent regulation like we already have in our existing medical marijuana market. We are looking forward to putting the illicit market out of business this November.”

The coalition has already submitted an argument in favor of the statute. The Ballot Board on Thursday designated Republican state Sens. Terry Johnson and Mark Romanchuk and Republican Rep. Bill Seitz to develop an argument against the statute.

The proposed statute and any certified arguments will then be published in Ohioans’ local newspaper weekly until the election.

Issue 2 would need a simple majority vote of 50% plus one vote to pass in the Nov. 7 election. Recent polling suggests about 59% of Ohioans are in favor of it.