The proposal has been certified by the Ohio Attorney General.
A proposed constitutional amendment to change Ohio's marijuana laws has been certified by Attorney General Mike DeWine.
The issue was submitted by the Ohio Rights Group, which wants to ensure the rights of Ohioans to the use of therapeutic cannabis and legalize the production of hemp. It would not be a full legalization of recreational use of the drug.
"Without passing upon the advisability of the approval or rejection of the measure to be referred, I hereby certify that the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed constitutional amendment," DeWine stated in a letter to the Ohio Ballot Board.
The Ohio Ballot Board will meet on Thursday to determine if the amendment should appear as a single issue or multiple issues on the ballot. Backers would then have to collect 385,253 valid signatures from at least 44 of the state's 88 counties.
"If the group wanted to get this issue on this year's ballot, they would have to submit those signatures to our office no later than July 3rd, which is 125 days before the November election," said Matt McClellan, a spokesman for Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.
Supporters say, if approved, the issue could provide Ohio with an estimated $50 million in tax revenue within five years of implementation and create an Ohio industry and the jobs to go along with it estimated at $250 million annually within just two years of establishment.
This issue is one of three currently being proposed for possible inclusion on the ballot.
