Ohio voters have rejected a measure that would have legalized marijuana use in the Buckeye State—but, controversially, would also have given a single group exclusive control over the state’s weed production.
The measure would have authorized the use of marijuana for recreational, non-medical uses, and would have brought the state an estimated $133 million to $293 million in new tax revenue.
But cultivation of the crop would have been limited to land that just so happened to be owned by the backers of the initiative, giving the group a monopoly over Ohio’s weed. The prospect made even many supporters of legal marijuana uncomfortable.
“The people of Ohio have understandably rejected a deeply flawed, monopolistic approach to marijuana reform,” said National Cannabis Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith in a statement.
“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.”