marijuana plants

ResponsibleOhio on Wednesday announced it was starting to collect signatures toward getting a marijuana-legalization issue on the fall ballot in Ohio. Spokeswoman Lydia Bolander described initial efforts as a "soft launch," with more widespread efforts will likely begin next week.

(Elaine Thompson, Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- ResponsibleOhio, one of the groups supporting legalization of marijuana in Ohio, started collecting signatures Wednesday with the goal of getting its issue before voters this fall.

"We're starting collection in major cities and will expand across Ohio in the coming weeks," the group announced in a post to Twitter.

We’re starting collection in major cities and will expand across Ohio in the coming weeks! http://t.co/pouBdEqxBS pic.twitter.com/EZjHQckpZs — Free Market Ohio (@FreeMarketOH) March 25, 2015

Spokeswoman Lydia Bolander described initial efforts as a "soft launch" that would allow staff to be trained and get their feet wet. More widespread efforts will likely begin next week.

Legalizing marijuana

Several proposals are in the works to legalize marijuana in Ohio.

for an update on the status of those efforts.

"Basically we have a whole team of field staff who are going to be on the job today or tomorrow," Bolander said.

ResponsibleOhio on Friday won approval from the Ohio Ballot Board to begin circulating petitions for its issue.

The amendment to the state constitution would establish a legal marijuana industry in which Ohioans could purchase weed for recreational and medical uses from retail outlets licensed by the state.

To get on the ballot, ResponsibleOhio must collect signatures from 305,591 registered voters. The total is equal to 10 percent of the vote in the 2014 gubernatorial contest.

Those signatures must be gathered from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties, and in each of 44 counties, the total gathered must amount to 5 percent of the 2014 gubernatorial vote locally.

Signatures must be submitted by July.

As a practical matter, most efforts to place an issue on the ballot collect thousands more signatures than required in anticipation of some being ruled invalid.

With each step the group has taken, more people have inquired about volunteering and signing the petitions, Bolander said. Northeast Ohio Media Group received emails, too, after the ballot board's approval, from readers wanting to know how to sign the petitions.

Part of the petitioning process, Bolander said, will involve talking with Ohioans to try to inform them about the issue.

"This is an issue that a lot of the people think is a no brainer, but they think it's sort of a socially taboo topic," Bolander said. The expectation, she said, is that people will talk more openly about legalizing marijuana as the campaign brings the issue more to the forefront.