Just say no: Mike DeWine rejects initial petition to fully legalize weed in Ohio

An earlier version of this story misidentified the group whose petition had been rejected.

An effort to fully legalize marijuana in Ohio hit a major roadblock Thursday when Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced he had rejected a petition to place the issue before voters.

DeWine said in a press release that he rejected the petition, submitted by the Columbus-based law firm Brunner Quinn, for several reasons.

DeWine objected to language in the petition giving the General Assembly authority to regulate "marijuana commerce,'' and the omission of references that "marijuana businesses shall be lawful only in those voting precincts in which the majority of the voters approved this section.''

“For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment,” DeWine stated. "However, I must caution that this letter is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of all defects in the submitted summary.”

DeWine said he received the petition, titled "Marijuana Rights and Regulations,'' on April 9th.

The petition, which carried more than 2,000 signatures, calls for an amendment that would allow anyone 21 years and older in Ohio to use marijuana "in a manner they choose, and to possess, produce, process, transport, sell, purchase and share marijuana.''

A group of local investors led by Jimmy Gould, chairman of Cincinnati-based Green Light Acquisitions, has proposed a separate amendment to Ohio's constitution to allow anyone 21 or older to grow marijuana in their homes for personal use or commercial cultivation. That effort continues.