Officials announced Wednesday that an initiative for legalizing marijuana in Ohio would appear on the state ballot in November.
The Secretary of State’s Office has certified that the proposal for cannabis is in compliance with the ballot requirements. This was about two weeks after activists submitted the final round of signatures.
They were then given an additional 10 days to make up the differences and a href=”https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohio-activists-turn in final signatures to put marijuana legalization on the November ballot after falling short in previous submission/” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank>ultimately turned in about 6,500/a>. was given 10 additional days to make the difference. They eventually submitted about 6,500.
In a email sent to the campaign, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said that 4,405 signatures of these final ones were valid. This brings the total signatures to 127.772, which is 3,000 more than the number needed to qualify for the ballot.
Tom Haren, CTRMLA spokesperson, said: “We’re grateful to the Ohioans who have helped us reach this point. We are also excited to present our proposal for regulating marijuana as alcohol to Ohio voters on Election Day.”
The Ohio campaign turned in a second batch of signatures to the state last month.
The first round of petitions, submitted in the past year, would have triggered a four month legislative review period, during which lawmakers could have taken action on the issue. But they did not, and the campaign was able to collect the second half needed to qualify for the ballot.
The legalization initiative was originally intended to be on the ballot for last year, but procedural issues prevented this. The activists submitted enough signatures for the review to begin, but their timing was challenged.
CTRMLA sued to force ballot placement but it was unsuccessful for the 2022 elections. The state agreed to a settlement which meant that they would not need to collect the initial signatures a second time and that the initiative was immediately retransmitted by the legislature to begin the 2023 session.
We’re grateful to the Ohioans for helping us reach this point, and we are eager to present our proposal in November to regulate marijuana as alcohol.
Let’s do this, Ohio.#JustLikeAlcohol https://t.co/vqUmdgd450
— The Coalition to Regulate Cannabis Like Alcohol (@LikeAlcoholOhio August 16, 2020
These are the main provisions of the measure for legalization that could appear on the ballot in November:
- This initiative will allow adults over 21 to possess up to 2.5 ounces (or 15 grams) of cannabis. They can also have marijuana concentrates up to a maximum of 15 grams.
- Each individual could grow six plants to use for their own personal needs, and a maximum of 12 plants in a household.
- The 10 percent tax on cannabis sales would go to fund social equity and job programs (36%), localities who allow adult-use marijuana businesses to operate in their areas (36%), education and drug misuse programs (25%), and administrative costs for implementing the system (3%)
- The Department of Commerce would establish a Division of Cannabis Control. The division would be able to “license and regulate adult-use cannabis operators, adult-use testing laboratories, as well as individuals who are required to have a license.”
- This measure will give current medical cannabis businesses an advantage in the recreational market. Within nine months after the law’s enactment, regulators would have to start issuing adult use licenses to applicants who are qualified and operate medical cannabis operations.
- The division will also have to issue 50 adult-use retail licenses, and 40 recreational cultivator licences. This is “with preference given to applicants who are participating in the cannabis social equality and jobs program.” It would also authorize regulators to grant additional licenses for recreational market after two years.
- Municipalities could opt not to allow new recreational cannabis businesses to open in their region, but existing medical marijuana companies would still be allowed to operate if they wanted to co-locate adult-use operations. Employers can also enforce policies that prohibit workers from using cannabis for adult purposes.
- The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services would also be required to enter into an agreement to provide “cannabis-addiction services”, which would include “education and treatment of individuals with addiction issues related either to cannabis or to other controlled substances, including opioids.”
- Some advocates worry about the lack specific language regarding automatic expungements, which would clear the records for people who have convictions from crimes that would become legal under the new legislation. The measure includes a clause requiring regulators “to study and fund” criminal reform initiatives, including expungements.
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If this measure is passed, the number of states that have legalized adult use will reach 24.
A recent economic analysis found that Ohio’s tax revenue could reach up to 403.6 million dollars per year from the sale of adult-use marijuana, if the ballot initiative for legalization is approved by voters.
In a USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University survey published in July, it was found that about 59 percent (59%) of Ohioans supported the legalization of possession and sale of marijuana by adults over 21. Only 35 percent of respondents are against.
In May bipartisan Ohio legislators submitted a bill legalizing marijuana, giving the legislature a second chance to lead the reform. It has not yet advanced, but now it is up to the voters to decide.
Reps. Jamie Callender and Casey Weinstein introduced the Ohio Adult Use Act. The act combined and refined previous legalization proposals, which the lawmakers pursued on a separate political basis last session.
Callender, who had sponsored a separate law to tax and regulate marijuana for 2021, had previously cast doubts about the prospects of legislative change, indicating that he believed this issue would be decided ultimately by the voters due to the recalcitrance on the part of the legislature.
Ohioans made it clear during recent elections that they are ready for a change in policy. More than 30 localities in Ohio have decriminalized marijuana through local ballots.
In November of last year, for instance, voters in five additional cities passed local marijuana decriminalization initiatives. voters in Helena also enacted reform during the May primary election.
The conservative legislature may have passed on the opportunity to legalize adult-use marijuana, but it considered major changes to the state’s Medical Cannabis Program during this session.
Also, Gov. Mike DeWine , a Republican, signed in January a criminal justice reform law that allows cities to facilitate mass expungements of people with drug-related convictions. This includes marijuana possession up to 200 grams.
The mayor of Cleveland announced in April, after the law became effective, that the city would be moving ahead with plans for sealing thousands of cannabis records.
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The post Ohio Marijuana Legalization initiative Will appear on the November ballot, state officials announce appeared initially on Marijuana Moment.
