ABSTRACT In the 2023 November election, Ohioans voted in favor of Issue 2—the Marijuana Legalization Initiative. The successful passing of this initiative at the ballot box made Ohio the 24th state and largest Republican voting state to adopt a recreational adult‐use marijuana policy. Issue 2 was voted in favor of by a margin of 57% to 43%. Support across Ohio counties varied, ranging from a high of 70% to a low of 31%. This paper investigates what factors account for these disparities in support for the legalization of recreational marijuana in Ohio. We explore the usual partisan and cultural explanations and consider two unexplored hypotheses. First, we find a positive relationship between the county‐level number of medical marijuana dispensaries and county‐level support for the legalization of recreational adult‐use marijuana. Second, we find that as the county‐level overdose rate increased, county‐level support for the legalization of recreational use of marijuana increased at first but then fell after a certain threshold. Related Articles Branton, R., and Ronald J. McGauvran. 2018. “Mary Jane Rocks the Vote: The Impact of Climate Context on Support for Cannabis Initiatives.” Politics & Policy 46, no. 2: 209–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12248 . Brekken, K. C., and Vanessa M. F. 2020. “Part of the Narrative: Generic News Frames in the U.S. Recreational Marijuana Policy Subsystem.” Politics & Policy 49, no. 1: 6–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12388 . Fisk, J. M., Joseph A. V., and Davis E. 2018. “Pot'reneurial Politics: The Budgetary Highs and Lows of Recreational Marijuana Policy Innovation.” Politics & Policy 46, no. 2: 189–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12246 .
Cunningham et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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