Bill to legalize marijuana in Ohio heads to lawmakers after hitting signature requirements
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Ohio lawmakers will consider a proposal to legalize marijuana in the coming months after advocates gathered enough voter signatures in support of the effort.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted 136,729 valid signatures as part of the state's initiated statute process, according to the secretary of state's office. That's nearly 4,000 over the required number. The measure will now be sent to the Ohio House and Senate, which have four months to act on the proposed law.
But the bill faces an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled Legislature and would likely meet Gov. Mike DeWine's veto pen if it reached his desk.
"No, I think that’s a mistake," DeWine said of the legalization effort. "I think you change the culture and you send a signal to kids... If it's legal, every kid, the message is it's okay."
The proposal would allow Ohioans age 21 and older to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. They could also grow up to six plants individually and no more than 12 in a household with multiple adults.
Products would be taxed at 10%, with revenue going toward administrative costs, addiction treatment programs, municipalities with dispensaries and a social equity and jobs program.
If lawmakers don't pass the bill or pass an amended version, supporters can collect another 132,887 valid signatures to put their measure on the ballot. The process differs from the 2015 legalization effort, when voters rejected a constitutional amendment pushed by ResponsibleOhio that would have paved the way for adult marijuana use.
"We are ready and eager to work with Ohio legislators over the next four months to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Ohio," campaign spokesman Tom Haren said in a statement. "We are also fully prepared to collect additional signatures and take this issue directly to voters on November 8, 2022, if legislators fail to act.
The legislature is also considering whether to expand the state's medical cannabis program.
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio marijuana: Ballot initiative heads to Legislature with signatures
