ResponsibleOhio launches effort to expunge pot offenses
COLUMBUS — The group behind a proposed ballot issue to legalize marijuana use in the state is pursuing an initiated statute that would enable residents to wipe certain drug-related offenses from their records, should the pot amendment pass.
ResponsibleOhio submitted language for its proposed "Fresh Start Act" to Attorney General Mike DeWine earlier this week, along with more than 4,300 petition signatures.
"We've seen that the marijuana prohibition has failed and it has disproportionately affected African-Americans in our community," said Faith Oltman, spokeswoman for ResponsibleOhio. "It's a specific social justice issue that a lot of people want to see addressed, especially if legalization happens."
DeWine must sign off on the petition language as a first step in process. His office has until July 6 to make a decision.
The Fresh Start Act is tied to ResponsibleOhio's marijuana legalization amendment, which would regulate marijuana production and sales in the state, with 10 sites where marijuana could be grown, tax rates for retail and other sales and provisions for home-grown plants.
Backers say they have more than 550,000 signatures in hand, well above the 300,000-plus required to qualify for the ballot. ResponsibleOhio plans to submit the petitions to the secretary of state next week.
If approved by voters, ResponsibleOhio next plans to pursue the Fresh Start Act, an initiated statute that would allow people with nonviolent marijuana-related offenses to apply to have those records expunged, "if the offense is no longer a criminal offense in Ohio."