Medical-pot issue clears ballot board

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana and certain uses of hemp has cleared Ohio’s ballot board.

The panel’s approval Thursday sends the issue into its signature-gathering phase, with a 2014 vote most likely.

The deadline for this fall’s ballot is July 6.

Proponents of the Ohio Cannibis Rights Amendment first must collect roughly 385,000 signatures in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties to get the issue before voters.