Ohio Pro Pot Groups Working On New Plan For 2016

The movement to legalise marijuana in the United States is looking for ways to regroup after voters in Ohio overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative to make the drug freely available for both recreational and medical use. Marijuana reform activists who opposed the initiative said they could do better.

"When people can understand how this might help a person deal with pain or epilepsy or some other medical condition, I think it kind of really puts it in perspective for people", Strahorn said in a telephone interview.

Eligible Ohioans headed to the polls today to decide whether to allow marijuana to be grown, processed and consumed within the state's borders. That kinda buckeye had opponents throwing around the term "monopoly" during the campaign (the proposed system would actually be an oligopoly), and made drug legalization advocates leery of fully endorsing Issue 3.

NORML has endorsed the legalization measure, although with "some hesitancy" because of the limited number of growing sites, said Danielle Keane, political director for NORML, a legalization advocacy group.

Among the investors are Nick Lachey of the 1990s boy band 98 Degrees, former NFL player Frostee Rucker, former NBA player Oscar Robertson, fashion designer Lanette Lepore, as well as Woody Taft and Dudley Taft Jr., the great-great grandnephews of President William Howard Taft. A sum of around $12m (£7.78) was reportedly spent on advertising by pro-campaigners ahead of the Tuesday polls.

Even those who actively campaigned locally against Issue 3 admit that might be the best course to take.