Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Pro-pot group ResponsibleOhio fell more than 29,000 signatures short of the number required to qualify its marijuana legalization issue for the November ballot, but will have 10 days to make up the difference.
To qualify for the ballot, ResponsibleOhio must collect at least 305,591 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters and meet a certain threshold in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.
Of the 660,190 signatures tallied by the secretary of state's office, about 42 percent - 276,082 - were verified by county boards of election. ResponsibleOhio had reported last month it submitted 695,273 signatures. ResponsibleOhio met the county requirement, collecting signatures equal to at least 5 percent of the number of votes cast in the 2014 gubernatorial election in 73 counties.
Additional signatures from the 10-day "cure period" will be reviewed by county boards of election and valid signatures will be added to the total.
ResponsibleOhio's proposed amendment would create a legal marijuana industry, with 10 commercial pot farms already chosen and promised to campaign investors. As many as 1,100 retail stores could be opened with approval from local voters, similar to liquor licenses. (As a reference point, there are about 200 Starbucks stores in Ohio.)
Pot would be taxed at every level of the supply chain and revenues would go to local governments for public services, cannabis research and testing, and drug abuse and addiction treatment programs.
ResponsibleOhio's monopolistic model has come under fire from state lawmakers and cannabis advocates.
Lawmakers are attempting to block the plan with their own constitutional amendment. Issue 2 would prohibit language granting "a monopoly, oligopoly or cartel" in the constitution and would trump the marijuana amendment, even if both passed on Election Day.
Issue 2 would require future monopolistic amendments to be posed as two questions on the same ballot - first, to suspend the monopoly rules and second, to approve the measure.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: ResponsibleOhio falls short on signatures, has 10 days to collect more | cleveland.com
Author: Jackie Borchardt
Contact: Contact us - Cleveland.com
Photo Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune via AP
Website: Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com
To qualify for the ballot, ResponsibleOhio must collect at least 305,591 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters and meet a certain threshold in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.
Of the 660,190 signatures tallied by the secretary of state's office, about 42 percent - 276,082 - were verified by county boards of election. ResponsibleOhio had reported last month it submitted 695,273 signatures. ResponsibleOhio met the county requirement, collecting signatures equal to at least 5 percent of the number of votes cast in the 2014 gubernatorial election in 73 counties.
Additional signatures from the 10-day "cure period" will be reviewed by county boards of election and valid signatures will be added to the total.
ResponsibleOhio's proposed amendment would create a legal marijuana industry, with 10 commercial pot farms already chosen and promised to campaign investors. As many as 1,100 retail stores could be opened with approval from local voters, similar to liquor licenses. (As a reference point, there are about 200 Starbucks stores in Ohio.)
Pot would be taxed at every level of the supply chain and revenues would go to local governments for public services, cannabis research and testing, and drug abuse and addiction treatment programs.
ResponsibleOhio's monopolistic model has come under fire from state lawmakers and cannabis advocates.
Lawmakers are attempting to block the plan with their own constitutional amendment. Issue 2 would prohibit language granting "a monopoly, oligopoly or cartel" in the constitution and would trump the marijuana amendment, even if both passed on Election Day.
Issue 2 would require future monopolistic amendments to be posed as two questions on the same ballot - first, to suspend the monopoly rules and second, to approve the measure.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: ResponsibleOhio falls short on signatures, has 10 days to collect more | cleveland.com
Author: Jackie Borchardt
Contact: Contact us - Cleveland.com
Photo Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune via AP
Website: Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com
