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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Petition for
Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Amendment Rejected
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today rejected
a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution which would attempt to
legalize marijuana for medical and industrial use in the state.
On March 10th, 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. 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 stated in a
letter to the petitioners.
The full text of today’s letter and of the amendment petitions
submitted can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Petitions.
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