Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A group of local investors who failed in their bid to secure a state license to grow medical marijuana on Monday announced plans for a statewide ballot issue to fully legalize marijuana.
Jimmy Gould, chairman of Cincinnati-based Green Light Acquisitions, proposed an Ohio constitutional amendment that would allow anyone 21 or older to grow a small amount of marijuana in their homes for personal use.
Gould said the ballot issue would not conflict with Ohio's current medical marijuana law but would expand legalized marijuana use among qualified adults without a physician's recommendation.
Gould said he would need 305,592 signatures to place the issue before Ohio voters next year. His group plans to finalize the language in the proposal and begin circulating it next month. The initial filing deadline for the ballot proposal is July 4, 2018.
Gould has been a proponent of legalized marijuana for decades.
He co-founded the group ResponsibleOhio, which was behind Ohio's failed Issue 3 marijuana initiative in 2015 that would have legalized marijuana for both medical and non-medical use.
But the new proposal "is as different from Issue 3 as night and day,'' Gould said. "We spent a lot of time and effort to get this right. This is not Issue 3 revisited.''
Gould said the new ballot proposal is a responsible way to fully legalize marijuana that would regulate marijuana use, cultivation, possession, processing and dispensing like alcohol-related businesses in Ohio.
In addition, the new proposal tosses out many of the contentious items that Gould blames for Issue 3's ultimate defeat, including designating certain properties as the only places in Ohio where the cannabis plant could be legally grown. Critics charged the stipulation would have benefitted only a handful of mega-growers.
"The concept of the rich getting richer goes right out the window with this,'' Gould said.
Gould said another reason he thinks now is the right time to introduce a new marijuana initiative is that "a lot of time has gone by'' since Issue 3 was defeated, and more Americans are inclined to support legalized marijuana based on studies, opinion polls and the sheer number of states that have adopted such laws over the past several years.
Since 2015, at least 18 states, including Ohio, have adopted legalized marijuana laws for either medical or recreational use or both.
"I guess we'll find out how much adult citizens want to be able to administer (cannabis) for themselves,'' Gould said. "I think people want to have more control over their lives.''
Gould said his new ballot initiative would "run parallel'' to a lawsuit he plans to file against the state after his firm, CannAscend Ohio, and dozens of other applicants were denied "Level 1" licenses for medical marijuana growers with up to 25,000 square feet of growing space.
The Ohio Department of Commerce earlier this month awarded 12 preliminary Level 1 licenses based on what Gould alleges was a deeply flawed selection process and the use of questionable application graders, including one who was a convicted drug dealer.
"That stuff is just not OK,'' Gould said. "Commerce feel asleep at the wheel. They either didn't know, or they didn't do background checks'' on the application graders.
"This is incompetence at best, and borders on criminal at the worst,'' he added.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Weed: Group seeks to legalize recreational use in Ohio
Author: Randy Tucker
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Dreamstime
Website: Cincinnati Enquirer | cincinnati.com
Jimmy Gould, chairman of Cincinnati-based Green Light Acquisitions, proposed an Ohio constitutional amendment that would allow anyone 21 or older to grow a small amount of marijuana in their homes for personal use.
Gould said the ballot issue would not conflict with Ohio's current medical marijuana law but would expand legalized marijuana use among qualified adults without a physician's recommendation.
Gould said he would need 305,592 signatures to place the issue before Ohio voters next year. His group plans to finalize the language in the proposal and begin circulating it next month. The initial filing deadline for the ballot proposal is July 4, 2018.
Gould has been a proponent of legalized marijuana for decades.
He co-founded the group ResponsibleOhio, which was behind Ohio's failed Issue 3 marijuana initiative in 2015 that would have legalized marijuana for both medical and non-medical use.
But the new proposal "is as different from Issue 3 as night and day,'' Gould said. "We spent a lot of time and effort to get this right. This is not Issue 3 revisited.''
Gould said the new ballot proposal is a responsible way to fully legalize marijuana that would regulate marijuana use, cultivation, possession, processing and dispensing like alcohol-related businesses in Ohio.
In addition, the new proposal tosses out many of the contentious items that Gould blames for Issue 3's ultimate defeat, including designating certain properties as the only places in Ohio where the cannabis plant could be legally grown. Critics charged the stipulation would have benefitted only a handful of mega-growers.
"The concept of the rich getting richer goes right out the window with this,'' Gould said.
Gould said another reason he thinks now is the right time to introduce a new marijuana initiative is that "a lot of time has gone by'' since Issue 3 was defeated, and more Americans are inclined to support legalized marijuana based on studies, opinion polls and the sheer number of states that have adopted such laws over the past several years.
Since 2015, at least 18 states, including Ohio, have adopted legalized marijuana laws for either medical or recreational use or both.
"I guess we'll find out how much adult citizens want to be able to administer (cannabis) for themselves,'' Gould said. "I think people want to have more control over their lives.''
Gould said his new ballot initiative would "run parallel'' to a lawsuit he plans to file against the state after his firm, CannAscend Ohio, and dozens of other applicants were denied "Level 1" licenses for medical marijuana growers with up to 25,000 square feet of growing space.
The Ohio Department of Commerce earlier this month awarded 12 preliminary Level 1 licenses based on what Gould alleges was a deeply flawed selection process and the use of questionable application graders, including one who was a convicted drug dealer.
"That stuff is just not OK,'' Gould said. "Commerce feel asleep at the wheel. They either didn't know, or they didn't do background checks'' on the application graders.
"This is incompetence at best, and borders on criminal at the worst,'' he added.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Weed: Group seeks to legalize recreational use in Ohio
Author: Randy Tucker
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Dreamstime
Website: Cincinnati Enquirer | cincinnati.com
