Ohio politics podcast: Marijuana makes Nov. ballot, big changes for back to school

Ohio voters will decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana this November and redistricting may be heading to the ballot again next year.

We break down what it all means In this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less.

This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Lily Carey.

Marijuana makes the ballot in Ohio

Voters will decide whether they want to legalize recreational cannabis this November. Ohio's Secretary of State Frank LaRose certified the signatures this week gathered by the campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

“We are grateful to the thousands of Ohioans who helped us get to this point and are excited to bring our proposal to regulate marijuana like alcohol before Ohio voters this coming election day,” coalition spokesman Tom Haren said in a statement Wednesday.

If passed, the new law would let people 21 or older buy and possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. They could also grow up to six plants individually, but keep no more than 12 plants in a household.

Householder and Trump

Georgia prosecutors are bringing a case against former President Donald Trump that might sound familiar to folks here in Ohio.

Trump was indicted on racketeering charges Monday for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. That's the same type of charge former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was indicted and then convicted on for his role in a $60 million bribery scheme to bail out two nuclear power plants.

And Householder's trial could be a window into what the case against the former president might look like.

Redistricting redo

Ohio could be voting to change how we draw our districts for the state House, Senate and Congress, again.

Voters overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendments in 2015 and 2018 to reform these processes, but then the 2022 redistricting process did not go as planned. Multiple maps were rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court and the Buckeye State eventually held elections using unconstitutional maps.

The proposed amendment would change all that by cutting elected officials out of the process and giving control over redistricting to a group of people who haven't worked in politics.

"This proposal would end gerrymandering by empowering citizens, not politicians, to draw fair districts using an open and independent process,"  former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor said.

But Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, has argued that these kinds of commissions are never truly independent, and Ohioans would be choosing mapmakers who are not accountable to the public.

Back to school

Children across Ohio are going back to school, so we wrote about all the legal changes impacting the 2023-2024 academic year.

Students who previously received reduced lunch prices will now get their meals for free. Vouchers for private schools have been expanded to all Ohio families. Coaches will have to undergo mental health training and every child in kindergarten through third grade will be screened for dyslexia.

Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Politics Explained: Recreational marijuana makes ballot