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As a continuation of Mary Jane’s coverage of the 2024 general election, this article will focus on cannabis-friendly candidates and issues. Let’s get started!
HOW TO FIND CANNABIS FRIENDLY CANDIDATES
On the federal and state level, you will be voting for or against candidates for the U.S. Presidency, the U.S. Senate, the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House, and the Ohio Supreme Court. In addition, a statewide ballot measure will also appear on the ballot. Certainly, you want the candidates of your choice to reflect your values and to support our cannabis cause. Here’s how to find these contenders:
- Locate district numbers for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Ohio Senate, and the Ohio House of Representatives.
- Go Ohio Secretary of State’s website and click on “Elections and Voting” link. Next, click on “Voters: Voteohio.gov,” and then on, “Look up your voter registration.” You should arrive at “Voter Search.” Three boxes will appear for you to fill in. For the first two, input your First Name and Last Name. For the third, from the dropdown box, pick your county and hit [ENTER]. Sometimes several names will appear. Pick yours and hit [ENTER]. The next page should show your name (first, middle, and last), your street address, your polling location (where you cast your ballot), and your precinct. Below that is your U.S. Congressional District, and inside the red box are numbers for your “Senate District” and your “State Rep. District” (Ohio House). Record these numbers.
- With those numbers, reference Mary Jane’s “Canna-voter Planning Form 2024” and/or “Recommended Canna-Candidates 2024” forms. The former is a handy planning tool you can fill in and take to your polling place for streamlining your voting process. The latter are the recommended candidates by the district they are seeking. These recommendations derive from a detailed analysis of their congressional voting records, third party voter guides, and relevant endorsements.
- Want to know more about these candidates? Each is linked in its data table to more information. For example, a click on District 3’s “Joyce Beatty” finds her Ballotpedia profile. The same profiles can be found for the other listed candidates, as well as for Issue 1.
- Where to vote. You don’t have to go to your listed polling place to cast your ballot. You can vote early at your county’s board of elections. Here is a clickable map of locations, and below it lies a list of Ohio County Boards of Elections, complete with their addresses. In person voting hours are listed here.
- When to vote. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Designated polling places for in-person voting will be open 6:30am to 7:30pm.
- Voter IDs. Acceptable forms: Ohio driver’s license, State of Ohio ID card, Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV, US passport, US passport card, US military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card. The ID must have an unexpired date and a photograph of the voter. Your name must conform to the one in the Poll Book or List. You can also vote “absentee” by mail until November 4th, the postmark deadline.
- So, even with reviewing this information, you still cannot find your preferred canna-candidates. You should then peruse the three source tables described in the analysis below.
WHO ARE THE CANNABIS FRIENDLY CANDIDATES?
First, check out these tables:
Ohio Supreme Candidates – 2024
Cannabis friendly candidates can be defined as those who consistently introduce cannabis-friendly legislation, vote against harmful bills, and speak positively on the subject to the media. Examples include support for last year’s Issue 2 that legalized adult use marijuana in Ohio, or sponsorship of a bill that would permit cannabis use by autistic children. The above tables denote these individuals with codes next to their names.
Given this logic, cannabis friendly House members (look for the green codes) include Juanita Brent (D-18) and Michelle Grim (D-43). Opponents are mostly Republicans (look for the red codes) like former Senate president Matt Huffman, now term limited and running for a House seat. One of the most canna-friendly representatives, Casey Weinstein, is running for a Senate seat. A raft of opponents in the Senate – almost half – are marked by red codes that denote S.R. 216 and H.B. 86. Canna voters should deprive them of their seats.
If any of the coded candidates are vying to represent your district, these tables should determine your vote.
Please note that the tables for the senates in Ohio and the United States will only show half of the sitting Senators due to the staggering terms of both chambers.
METHODOLOGY
A review of legislative literature finds a dearth of information concerning who in the General Assembly supports advancing the cause of the plant. To fill in this gap, Mary Jane conducted voting analyses for the 2020 and the 2022 general elections, the latter more similar to this current report.
Mary Jane’s prior voter guides relied in part on VoteSmart.org, BuckeyeBallot.com, and the Sensible Movement Coalition. These sites were unavailable for this analysis. Instead, the information utilized came from NORML’s Smoke the Vote, Ballotpedia, the Ohio Secretary of State, and the Ohio Legislature where bills were searched for their status, votes, and sponsors, if any. Logic indicates that legislators show their true colors via the bills and resolutions that they sponsor and help pass.
A couple of examples
For example, in October 2023, sixteen Ohio Senators authored Senate Resolution 216. Its main purpose was to thwart Issue 2 (the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol citizen initiated statue), doing so via 20 factually deficient bullet points. Mary Jane’s Guide rebutted them. If graded by an English teacher, S.R. 216 would have earned these lawmakers little more than a “C”. Would we want to re-elect any one of the legislators who tried to dismantle a citizen-led initiative with “faulty facts, illogical logic, and ridiculous reasoning”? Resolution authors currently running for reelection are coded “X” in the Ohio Senate candidate listing, all of them Republicans.
Similarly, several Ohio House members tried to ram H.B.86 – originally written to “revise the liquor control laws” – through the General Assembly right after Issue 2’s passage. They shoehorned Issue 2 into House Bill 86, butchering the original initiated statute, limiting homegrow to 6 plants, lowering homegrow possession to 2.5 ounces, reducing the potency of extracts, and worst of all, creating new felony charges with mandatory minimum sentences. Twenty-seven reps signed on as co-sponsors, as did nine senators. The bill was quickly passed by the Senate and referred back to the House, where it remains neither changed nor passed to this very day. The troubling part is the speed at which legislators moved to thwart the “will of the people.” Instead of tanking Issue 2, Representative Jamie Callender sought “middle ground.” In his words, “I think the middle ground is we do what the people voted and told us to do.” This unfortunate situation is denoted in the House and Senate tables as “86.” In defense of some lawmakers. And considering the subject matter of the original bill (liquor), one wonders if they knew what they were signing on to when they agreed to sponsor this bill.
These analyses and the codes applied to the tables illustrate well the positions of Ohio legislators who are asking for your vote. Interestingly, most of the red codes (X, N, and 86) fall on the Republican side in the tables. Call them your “prohibitionists.” Surely, you don’t want to vote for them.
And these tables give you that option. When you look at the candidates in your district, you generally have the choice of two: a Democrat and a Republican. If you don’t like their positions on S.R. 216 or H.B.86, vote for the other guy or gal!
STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT and its legislative candidates
U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected every even year to two-year terms. There are no term limits, so members can serve as long as they’re elected. The total number of voting representatives is 435, with membership of individual states determined by population based on U.S. the Census. Ohio’s delegation numbers fifteen in fifteen districts. Seated are 5 Democrats and 10 Republicans. House members elect leadership. As with other chambers, cannabis friendly reps tend to be Democratics (green codes), while opponents, most often Republicans, will display red codes. One exception is incumbent David Joyce who has affixed his name to many marijuana bills.
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate membership consists of two senators from each of the 50 states, making the total 100 Senators. Like all other states, Ohio has just two Senators: Sherrod Brown (i) (D) (running for a fourth term) and JD Vance (R) (running for Vice President). Brown, who lives in Cleveland, has been a Senator since 2007. He has a strong record of supporting cannabis, telling Cleveland.com, “It’s time to legalize marijuana across the country.” In the senate as committee chair, he voted for the Safer Banking Act and Issue 2. Opponent Bernie Merino apparently voted against that initiated statute, saying, “Marijuana leads to schizophrenia, it’s a gateway drug.”
Ohio House
The Ohio House of Representatives (sometimes called the “lower house”) holds 99 members that are elected every other even-numbered year. This year – 2024 – is one of those years. Each member hails from (must live in) their district. Members are term-limited to four successive two-year terms. Once their terms are complete, some seek election as senators and vice versa. For the 2023-2024 term, Republicans dominated the house with 67 members compared to the Democrat’s 32 members. A look at the Ohio House Candidates – 2024 table finds that incumbents dominate candidacy. Republicans have nine empty seats (no one running), while six Democratic seats are vacant. Jason Stevens (R-93) is Speaker of the House, with Bill Seitz as Majority Leader and Allison Russo (D-7) as Minority Leader. Stephens and Russo are running for reelection; Seitz is not.
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate – sometimes called the “upper house” – has 33 members, 26 Republicans and just seven Democrats. Members are elected to staggered four-year terms, with even-numbered seats and odd-number seats taking office two years apart. Senators are limited to two consecutive terms. This is the year for the even-numbered seats. Only District 12 has no candidate. Like the House, the majority of candidates are incumbents, leaving little room for new legislators. Matt Huffman (R) served as Senate President, with Rob McColley (R) as majority leader and Nickie Antonio (D) as minority leader. Only Matt Huffman is running for election this year ... as a Representative.
Ohio Supreme Court
As the highest court in the state, the Ohio Supreme Court consists of seven members: a chief justice and six associate justices, all chosen by voters for staggered six-year terms. Terms for two associate justices fall every two years, for a total of three elections every six years. One of those elections seats the Chief Justice. The Ohio Capital Journal reports that this year’s race will have “have major impacts on a wide variety of issues that affect the lives of Ohioans.” Currently, the court has a 4-3 Republican majority, with important cases like abortion bans and redistricting hanging in the balance. This year, three seats on the court are open, and three of the candidates are incumbents (Donnelly, Stewart, and Deters). Incumbent justice Joe Deters (i)(R) is running against incumbent Justice Melody Stewart (i)(D). Deters was appointed to replace Justice Sharon L. Kennedy (R), who won the election as chief justice in 2023. Lisa Forbes (D) is seeking Deter’s open seat against Dan Hawkins (R). Incumbent Justice Micheal Donnelly (i)(D) will face Megan Shanahan (R).
Issue 1
The disparate membership of Republicans vs. Democrats in the Ohio House of Representatives (67-32) and the Ohio Senate (26-7) shows the disproportionate influence that the former party has over the latter when crafting legislation. Ohio is a “trifecta” state. That’s when all branches of government – the legislative, executive (and in Ohio’s case judicial) – hail from the same party – Republican. The Buckeye State has held this moniker for most of the last three decades because of gerrymandering. In essence, politicians pick their voters instead of voters picking their representatives. As a constitutional amendment, Issue 1 will fix this inequity by banning lobbyists, legislators, and politicians from drawing electoral maps. The measure would establish a balanced 15-member commission to do this work.
SHINING STARS
Several lawmakers stand out in their support of cannabis. They have introduced bills, sponsored agreeable legislation, and remained persistent even when challenged.
Rep. Juanita Brent (D-18): Endorsed by the editorial board of The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com, Rep. Brent has served in the Ohio House since 2018 and is seeking her fourth term. Calling Cleveland Heights home, she has been a champion of cannabis and particularly hemp, even raising funds to support the newly created program. In 2020 and 2022, she co-sponsored H.B.60 the “Authorize medical marijuana for autism spectrum disorder” bill, which passed the House on 3/16/2022.
Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-34). (Soon to be Senator Weinstein?) Rep. Weinstein from the Hudson/Stow area of Ohio was elected to the Ohio House in November 2018. He has sponsored several recent marijuana related bills, including H.B.168 in 2024, H.B.628 in 2022, and H.B.382 in 2021. He is a graduate of the United States Airforce Academy, as is his wife, Amanda. He also holds an MBA from OSU’s Fisher College of Business.
Rep. Jamie Callender (R-57). From the Lake County area, Rep. Callender has been an Ohio House of Representatives member since 1977 when the first of his four two-year stints as a Rep began. Term limited by his prior house membership, he came back to the chamber in 2018 and is running again for his fourth two-year term. He holds a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and teaches at Kent State University. As far as cannabis is concerned, he has sponsored/co-sponsored several marijuana bills: H.B.168 and H.B.354 in 2023, and H.B.498 in 2021. Rep. Callender should also be recognized for holding line against legislative changes to Issue 2, summarizing, “We preserve the things that the people voted on.” Thanks to Rep. Callender, Issue 2 that went into effect last December remains on the books as is.
Tamie Wilson. No, she is not a sitting Rep or Senator. She calls herself, “biracial entrepreneur, single mother, and ex-wife of a former United States Marine.” She also ran for this seat in 2022, losing 69-31% to Jim Jordan. So why is she a “Shining Star”? Who else has the hutzpah to run against the infamous Jim Jordan – twice! Jordan is the U.S. House pain in the you-know-what. Even though he has sponsored 825 bills and resolutions, not even one has passed and become law. “No” must be Jim Jordan’s favorite word. Over 18 “No’s” can be counted on various bills like the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, the Safe Banking Act, Veterans Equal Access Amendment, and so much more. Just for taking him on, Tamie Wilson deserves a pat on the back. It would be even better for her to defeat Jordan and finally get a caring, concerned, and conscientious legislator to enact sensible cannabis law. You go girl!
WHO SHOULD WE VOTE FOR?
The words below appear at the bottom of the “Recommended Canna-Candidates 2024” table. Our votes should support them. Senator Sherrod Brown, Rep. Juanita Brent, Rep. Casey Weinstein, and Rep. Jamie Callender come close to meeting those standards, as do many of the other legislators who appear in the state and federal candidate tables. Look for these codes and decide for yourself if your choice deserves your vote. Strategic cannabis voting as noted in Mary Jane’s last article can change the course of government and society, and improve our lives. The dart board effect or not voting at all can set us back and make our conditions worse. Your vote counts. Let it reflect the real you – a cannabis afficionado.
What We Seek
Although specifics can very person-to-person, generally cannabis users and aficionados want respect. We seek to be free of threats to our security and freedom because of our association with a simple plant. This means free of arrest, incarceration, and asset forfeiture. We want to enjoy the same liberties as everyone else: the ability to get and hold a good job, and receive associated workers compensation and unemployment benefits. This includes banking, insurance, taxes, stock holding, scholarships, and other financial transactions. Cannabis use should never trigger child custody investigations, nor deprive us of housing, a college education, organ transplants, pain medication or healthcare. Cannabis patients and others who use the plant should be able to freely associate with one another and utilize cannabis products as a community, including personal cultivation. We wish to see vigorous research that recognizes the plant’s vast therapeutic properties and medicinal products that are unburdened by the pharmaceutical industry and its arduous drug approval process.
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Mary Jane Borden is a best-selling author, skilled graphic artist, insightful analyst, and award-winning cannabis activist from Westerville, Ohio. During her 40-year career in drug policy, she co-founded seven cannabis-oriented groups, co-authored four proposed constitutional amendments, lobbied for six medical marijuana bills, penned over 100 Columbus Free Press articles, and has given hundreds of media interviews. She is one of the Courage in Cannabis authors, with articles in both editions. Her artwork can be viewed at CannabinArt.com and she can be reached at maryjaneborden@ gmail.com.
