Ohio activists have cleared a final hurdle to begin collecting signatures for a 2022 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in the state. About a week after the state attorney general certified the latest version of the reform petition, the Ohio Ballot Board on Monday determined that the measure meets single subject requirements, clearing advocates to start signature gathering. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) launched its ballot effort last month. And the recent attorney general certification came after his office rejected summary language of an earlier version. “We’re happy with today’s outcome and believe the ballot board made the right call on this one,” CTRMLA spokesperson Tom Haren said in a press release. “We look forward to beginning the signature collection process and working with our state legislators to create a safe, legal, and highly regulated cannabis market in Ohio.” The new initiative is a statutory proposal. If supporters collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt and amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in 2022.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 08/30/2021 12:34:00