Zinger Key Points
- Pro-cannabis ads have been scarce so far, but supporters are now cashing in on Ohio's love of college football, especially against Michigan.
- Weed lovers have been crossing state lines to shop at friendly Michigan stores. Now Ohioans want to bring home their own tax dollars.
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Ohio's campaign to approve cannabis legalization’s Issue 2 on Nov. 8 at the ballot box has been relatively quiet as both sides have purposely not spent much money on TV ads, typically the largest expense for any political campaign.
New Ad: Go OSU!
But now, legalization supporters are breaking their silence with a new ad.
Just weeks before the highly competitive Ohio State-Michigan football game, supporters of Issue 2 are planning to air a tongue-in-cheek TV ad that capitalizes on beating Michigan, not just on the grid but economically by bringing home the tax dollars Ohioans are spending across the state line.
“Ohioans are flocking to Michigan to buy marijuana,” says the ad that features Morenci, Michigan, a small town on the Ohio border. Morenci, which has only 2,000 residents, has five weed shops. The ad points out that practically all of them are frequented by Ohioans.
“People in Ohio right now are using marijuana,” Tom Haren, spokesman for the Committee to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol told WKSU, a local public radio station. “They are just either buying it from drug dealers or buying it from a Michigan dispensary.”
He added “This is an ad that is going to run statewide on television, devices, streaming services,”
Read more: Low-Budget, High Impact: How Ohio’s Cannabis Legalization Campaign Is Winning Without Costly TV Ads
Michigan Cashing In On Ohio Weed Shoppers
Michigan, which legalized adult-use marijuana in 2019, has the same 10% tax on cannabis sales as Ohio. However, Haren pointed out that the combination of state and local taxes would mean Ohio would tax marijuana at a rate higher than the effective tax rate in Michigan.
An Ohio State University study estimates that legal recreational cannabis could generate as much as $218 million from marijuana taxes in its first year.
Solid Support For Legalization
Statewide polling data from Baldwin Wallace University showed that 57.4% of Ohioans plan to approve Issue 2, according to results released last week.
Now Read: Can Small Cannabis Brands Stay True To Their Values While Growing? Benzinga Conference Insights
Photo: El Planteo
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