Thursday, April 19, 2018
COLUMBUS —The Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today rejected the petition for a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution which would legalize marijuana in Ohio.
On April 9, the office received a written petition to amend the Ohio Constitution, entitled the "Marijuana Rights and Regulations Amendment" from the attorney representing the petitioning committee. The summary was rejected for several reasons, including:
• The summary language giving the General Assembly authority to regulate "marijuana commerce" does not accurately reflect the actual amendment language.
• The summary omits references in the amendment that "Marijuana businesses shall be lawful only in those voting precincts in which the majority of the voters approved this section."
• The summary omits references in the amendment that “The General Assembly shall within 240 days after the effective date enact and enable laws, rules, and regulations consistent with this section.”
“For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment,” Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine stated in his letter rejecting the petition.