Ohio’s top Republican leaders haven’t been shy about their opposition to recreational marijuana.

“There are a lot of people who don’t do something because it’s illegal, believe it or not, and if it’s more accessible to whoever’s going to buy it, it’s going to be more accessible to people who shouldn’t be smoking it,” Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said in a recent interview. “It’s really going to be devastating.”

Come November, Ohio voters will decide if the state should legalize recreational marijuana. The proposal from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol − known as Issue 2 − outlines rules for buying, selling, growing and taxing cannabis for adults 21 and older.

The measure is an initiated statute that would become law if passed, instead of a constitutional amendment. That means it would fall under the jurisdiction of the state Legislature, and Republicans in charge could later tweak or even repeal the measure if approved by voters.

Ahead of the Nov. 7 vote, Huffman and other key leaders aren’t showing their hand. But several rank-and-file lawmakers don’t think there’s enough political will in the GOP-controlled Legislature to thwart the voters’ decision. [Read more at The Columbus Dispatch]