After Ohio election, loosening Tennessee abortion and marijuana laws is unlikely for now

In Nov. 7's election, a majority of Ohio voters in the red Buckeye State approved enshrining abortion rights in its Constitution and legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

These are historically blue issues, but Ohio became the 24th state to legalize or liberalize marijuana and the sixth state to expand abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022.

Related story: Ohio just passed Issue 2, legalizing recreational marijuana. What Tennessee residents should know.

Looking at my social media feeds that week, there were hopes expressed by some advocates that these results could extend to Tennessee one day.

For example, Tequila Johnson, co-founder and executive director of the Nashville-based voting rights group, The Equity Alliance, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"If Tennessee would support issues on the ballot- we would pass abortion rights and legalize Marijuana too. Don’t let this 'conservative state' narrative fool you. The south isn’t conservative- the south is suppressed and has lost faith in democracy. But the south is rising!"

Is there a roadmap for Tennessee to follow Ohio's lead? That's unlikely in today's political environment, but it's not impossible.

Another column by David Plazas: Megan Barry should run for Congress as should other Nashville residents who feel ignored

How to amend the Constitution in Tennessee

Unlike states such as Ohio, California and Florida, citizens cannot directly place an initiative on the ballot to amend the state Constitution.

According the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, it takes two-thirds of both Houses of the General Assembly to approve a proposed amendment in two consecutive sessions of the legislatures, which essentially amounts to a four-year period.

Then, if the initiative gets on the ballot, a majority of voters must approve and -- stay with me -- the number of "yes" votes must total a majority of the votes in the gubernatorial election.

In 2014, an amendment passed by 53% of voters that stripped the right to an abortion from the Tennessee state Constitution (Article I, Section 36).

Four constitutional amendments passed in 2022 from enshrining the right-to-work law to outlawing slavery forever.

Currently, the Republicans hold a supermajority in the both the state House (75 to 24 Democrats) and the state Senate (27 to six Democrats), so they have the votes to get a proposal of their preference on the ballot.

They have also voted to curtail abortion rights in the state, making Tennessee one of the most restrictive states in the nation for reproductive rights. Plus, a majority has voted against making marijuana legal for medicinal or recreational purposes, though non-THC products such CBD and Delta-8 are sold in Tennessee.

That means that unless the public chooses to elect lawmakers who are sympathetic to expanded abortion rights and legal marijuana sales, Tennessee will continue to be a prohibitionist state.

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Status quo persists and so does horrible voter turnout in Tennessee

Surveys, such as the Vanderbilt Poll, have documented a majority of respondents' approval of legal access to abortion and growing support for marijuana, primarily for medicinal purposes.

In 2018, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former state House Speaker Beth Harwell ran on a pro-medical marijuana platform.

But polls do not necessarily translate into votes and Tennessee has found itself at or near the bottom among American states for voter turnout over the last decade.

There is plenty of room for improvement.

If voters show up en masse in 2024, for local, state and federal elections, and if their votes support the poll data, then there will be a change.

Some observers may chalk up Republicans' supermajority grasp on power to voting laws, gerrymandering and other factors, but change is also in the hands of ordinary citizens.

Now is the time for citizens to ensure they are registered to vote, study the candidates and issues, and make their plan to vote early or on Election Day.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters.. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ohio election: Will Tennessee loosen abortion and marijuana laws next?