Petitions submitted for legalizing marijuana in Ohio

By Marc Kovac | July 1, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

The group that wants to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses submitted nearly 700,000 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office to push the issue toward the November ballot.

The submission came a day before the deadline and caps several months of signature gathering by ResponsibleOhio.

“This is about democracy,” Ian James, the group’s executive director, told reporters Tuesday before boxes of petitions were unloaded. “This is about allowing the voters to do what the Statehouse has not been willing to do for the last 18 years. And we want to give and will give Ohio voters the chance to vote on medical marijuana as well as the personal use of marijuana.”

ResponsibleOhio has proposed a structure to regulate marijuana production and sales in the state. Its amendment outlines 10 sites where marijuana could be grown, including locations in Hudson in Summit County and Alliance in Stark County, and five testing facilities to check supplies for potency and safety, including a site in Mahoning County.

Retail sales of the drug would be taxed at 5 percent, while growers and processors would pay a 15 percent tax on their purchases.

The ballot language also would allow anyone 21 or older to grow up to four marijuana plants at home, as long as they have obtained permits in advance and the growing area is secure.

“By this time next year, we’ll have a marijuana control commission in place,” James said, voicing optimism the issue would qualify for the ballot and be supported by voters. “The governor will have already chosen those folks, and we will have a process in place for the regulation, the testing and taxing of marijuana. This is a long time coming.”

ResponsibleOhio began collecting signatures in March to put the issue before voters, and backers said in recent weeks they had surpassed the numbers needed to qualify for the ballot.

With the submission to the secretary of state, completed petitions will be forwarded to county election boards to cross-check signatures and ensure signers are registered voters.

Those boards will report back with the number of verified signatures, and the secretary of state will combine the totals. If there are enough, the issue would qualify for the November ballot. If not, then ResponsibleOhio would have another 10 days to collect additional signatures.

If the issue is cleared for the general election, the state Ballot Board would have to sign off on the language that would be put before voters.

James said ResponsibleOhio already has collected $20 million in contributions toward what will likely be a heated campaign.