DeWine rejects petition for marijuana legalization amendment
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has rejected the petition for a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution which would attempt to legalize marijuana use in the state.
On February 13th, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office received a written petition to amend the Ohio Constitution, entitled “Medical Marijuana and Personal Use Amendment,” from the group Responsible Ohio. 1,000 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters were submitted.
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However, Attorney General DeWine found at least two defects with the summary language:
• The summary language omits that the proposed amendment permits the sharing of specified amounts of marijuana between adults 21 years old and older.
• The summary language does not accurately reflect the manner in which proposed taxes would be distributed.
Additionally, DeWine noted that at least one marijuana establishment proposed in the amendment may be within 1,000 feet of a “house of worship and/or a public playground,” which would also conflict with claims made in the summary language. However, due to the other deficiencies with the summary petition, the Attorney General’s Office did not attempt to validate the claims regarding locations.
“After reviewing the submission, I conclude that 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.
The full text of the letter and of the amendment petitions submitted can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BallotInitiatives.