Robert Celt
New Member
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment will have to wait a little more than a week to find out whether petition signatures and language pass the initial state review.
The Marijuana Policy Project submitted the paperwork late March 3, along with 2,098 signatures, to Attorney General Mike DeWine for his consideration. DeWine must sign off on the submission -- the deadline for his decision is March 14 -- and the state Ballot Board, headed by Secretary of State Jon Husted, must also give its OK before the group can begin collecting the 300,000-plus signatures required to qualify for the November ballot.
The Marijuana Policy Project has spearheaded legalization efforts in 20-plus other states that allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes. The group is moving ahead with the Ohio amendment, despite ongoing meetings by state lawmakers that could result in separate legislation or ballot issues.
"They've had a couple of decades to do something and they've obviously not taken any action," Rob Kampia, the project's executive director, told reporters during a conference call earlier in the week. "/ It's hard for me to imagine that the Ohio Legislature can go from being hostile last year to being wonderfully supportive this year. I think that's extremely unlikely."
The amendment calls for the legalization of medical marijuana for debilitating conditions, including cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Physicians would have to sign off on patients' use, and users would have to obtain state-issued medical marijuana ID cards.
"It's kind of like you need a driver's license or a passport into a bar to get alcohol," Kampia said. "It just makes it easy for the police to know who's allowed to possess marijuana in Ohio."
The amendment calls for the creation of a new state commission that would develop rules for the issuance of IDs and licenses for related businesses. The language caps larger-scale marijuana cultivation to 15 sites, though users could grow up to half a dozen plants for their own use.
Local governments could ban or limit the number or related businesses -- production, testing and distribution facilities, for example -- but Kampia said they would have to gain voter approval to quash dispensaries.
"It can be done," he said. "I'm assuming some local governments will do it. But for the most part, since medical marijuana is actually more popular than most politicians, we're assuming that local governments will by and large allow disepnsaries to operate all across the state so that patients won't have to drive too far to purchase the medicine."
The amendment language was modeled, in part, after medical marijuana legalization efforts in other states. Kampia said the group plans to collect the required signatures by early July, in time to qualify for the November ballot.
"The people of Ohio clearly support medical marijuana," he said. "There seemed to be real interest in going down that road."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Ballot Issue Petitions Filed With Ohio For Review
Author: Marc kovac
Contact: Twinsburg Bulletin
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Twinsburg Bulletin
The Marijuana Policy Project submitted the paperwork late March 3, along with 2,098 signatures, to Attorney General Mike DeWine for his consideration. DeWine must sign off on the submission -- the deadline for his decision is March 14 -- and the state Ballot Board, headed by Secretary of State Jon Husted, must also give its OK before the group can begin collecting the 300,000-plus signatures required to qualify for the November ballot.
The Marijuana Policy Project has spearheaded legalization efforts in 20-plus other states that allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes. The group is moving ahead with the Ohio amendment, despite ongoing meetings by state lawmakers that could result in separate legislation or ballot issues.
"They've had a couple of decades to do something and they've obviously not taken any action," Rob Kampia, the project's executive director, told reporters during a conference call earlier in the week. "/ It's hard for me to imagine that the Ohio Legislature can go from being hostile last year to being wonderfully supportive this year. I think that's extremely unlikely."
The amendment calls for the legalization of medical marijuana for debilitating conditions, including cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Physicians would have to sign off on patients' use, and users would have to obtain state-issued medical marijuana ID cards.
"It's kind of like you need a driver's license or a passport into a bar to get alcohol," Kampia said. "It just makes it easy for the police to know who's allowed to possess marijuana in Ohio."
The amendment calls for the creation of a new state commission that would develop rules for the issuance of IDs and licenses for related businesses. The language caps larger-scale marijuana cultivation to 15 sites, though users could grow up to half a dozen plants for their own use.
Local governments could ban or limit the number or related businesses -- production, testing and distribution facilities, for example -- but Kampia said they would have to gain voter approval to quash dispensaries.
"It can be done," he said. "I'm assuming some local governments will do it. But for the most part, since medical marijuana is actually more popular than most politicians, we're assuming that local governments will by and large allow disepnsaries to operate all across the state so that patients won't have to drive too far to purchase the medicine."
The amendment language was modeled, in part, after medical marijuana legalization efforts in other states. Kampia said the group plans to collect the required signatures by early July, in time to qualify for the November ballot.
"The people of Ohio clearly support medical marijuana," he said. "There seemed to be real interest in going down that road."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Ballot Issue Petitions Filed With Ohio For Review
Author: Marc kovac
Contact: Twinsburg Bulletin
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Twinsburg Bulletin
