Ohio AG Rejects Petition For Medical Marijuana

[Robert Celt]

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine Monday rejected a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution which would attempt to legalize marijuana for medical and industrial use in the state.

On March 10th, the Ohio Attorney General's Office received a written petition to amend the Ohio Constitution, entitled "Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Amendment" from legal counsel representing the petitioners. 1,000 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters were submitted. However, Attorney General DeWine found at least two defects with the summary language:

• The summary language omits references to proposed amendment language that "industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis shall be researched, regulated, and promoted by the State in a manner substantially similar to other agricultural crops."
• The summary language states that the proposed amendment "provides the right to a fair and transparent licensing process for cannabis-related commerce and provides equal opportunity for access, ownership and employment for all Ohio citizens who have attained the age of 21 years old." However, the proposed amendment establishes the age limitation only on licensing and not on receiving "equal opportunity to access, ownership, and employment."

"For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment," DeWine stated in a letter to the petitioners.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Ohio AG Rejects Petition For Medical Marijuana
Author: Staff
Contact: WKBN
Photo Credit: Keith Srakocic
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