A-G rejects another medical MJ petition

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Another week, another medical marijuana petition rejected by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The Ohio attorney general on Monday rejected a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would attempt to legalize marijuana for medical and industrial use in the state.

On March 10, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office received a written petition to amend the Ohio Constitution, entitled “Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Amendment” from legal counsel representing the petitioners. At least 1,000 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters were submitted; however, Attorney General DeWine found at least two defects with the summary language:

• The summary language omits references to proposed amendment language that “industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis shall be researched, regulated, and promoted by the state in a manner substantially similar to other agricultural crops.”
• The summary language states that the proposed amendment “provides the right to a fair and transparent licensing process for cannabis-related commerce and provides equal opportunity for access, ownership and employment for all Ohio citizens who have attained the age of 21 years old.” However, the proposed amendment establishes the age limitation only on licensing and not on receiving “equal opportunity to access, ownership, and employment.”

“For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment,” DeWine said in a letter to the petitioners.

The full text of Monday’s letter and of the amendment petitions submitted can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Petitions.