Washington, DC – Ohio voters today voted down Issue 3, a ballot initiative that would have legalized marijuana while creating a cultivation monopoly in the state. The initiative has been controversial, even among many marijuana legalization supporters, because its drafters included a provision that set aside all of Ohio’s initial cultivation licenses for the drafters themselves. National Cannabis Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith issued the following statement in response to the failure of Ohio’s Issue 3 ballot initiative tonight:

“The people of Ohio have understandably rejected a deeply flawed, monopolistic approach to marijuana reform that failed to garner broad support from advocates or industry leaders. This debate has shown that there is a strong base of support for legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana. Now the foundation has been laid for a potential 2016 effort that would put forward a more common-sense initiative and have a major impact on the presidential conversation in the process.”

###