Marijuana laws have been enforced in a discriminatory manner against people of color in the United States. Despite similar usage rates across races, Black people are almost four times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession nationwide.

Legalizing marijuana without addressing these past injustices risks reinforcing the decades of disproportionate harm communities of color have faced and endured. As a result, legalization advocates support reinvestment in the communities most harmed by discriminatory enforcement, and express procedures governing police interactions with those suspected of marijuana offenses.

Issue 2 – the adult use marijuana legalization proposal passed by Ohio voters on November 7, 2023 – includes exactly these types of provisions in addition to provisions meant to ensure those groups that have been harmed disproportionately by prohibition are represented among Ohio’s marijuana license holders.

For in depth coverage of the Social Equity and Jobs Program created under Issue 2, including information relevant to prospective social equity license applicants, click here to read the analysis on the Frantz Ward Cannabis Law and Policy Blog.