Attorney General Yost Provides Legal Analysis of State Issues 1 and 2 Ahead of November Vote

Joe Lyons • October 5, 2023

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is providing Ohioans with vital clarity and transparency in anticipation of the Nov. 7 vote on State Issue 1 and State Issue 2, two contentious citizen-initiated ballot proposals.

The First Amendment safeguards even wrong information, Yost noted, and the government largely lacks the authority to restrain information. To help ensure a meaningful and accurate public discourse on the two initiatives, the Attorney General directed two teams from his office – one for each issue – to conduct legal analyses of both. These are not policy analyses, but legal analyses – not “why,” but “what.”

“Ohio voters deserve an impartial resource that offers an objective analysis of the legal implications of both citizen-initiated initiatives,” Yost said. “The decision regarding which policy path is best for Ohio lies with voters, not with me.”

Issue 1 is a constitutional amendment that deals with reproductive rights and abortion, and Issue 2 is a proposed statute on recreational use of marijuana.

“The people of Ohio hired me to do a job,” Yost said. “I owe it to them to give them accurate information so they can make informed decisions. This work is for them.”

Led by the Attorney General, separate teams of attorneys and professional staff conducted the analyses, meticulously reviewing the appropriate citizen-initiated initiatives, discussing them at length, and preparing comprehensive explanations of their legal implications.

The final versions offer clarity in some areas and acknowledge the potential for legal disputes in others – without resorting to speculative projections.

To read the Attorney General’s legal explanations of State Issues 1 and 2, visit www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Ballot-Initiatives.