Marijuana Taxes

Ohioans to End Prohibition, a Cleveland-based group, announced plans Thursday to legalize recreational and medicinal marijuana in Ohio through a 2016 constitutional amendment.

(Brennan Linsley)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohioans could have multiple choices to support legalizing marijuana at the ballot box.

A Cleveland-based group calling itself Ohioans to End Prohibition announced Thursday it plans to propose a constitutional amendment on the 2016 November ballot that would legalize recreational and medicinal marijuana use. Unlike a proposal announced last month, the group's "Cannabis Control Amendment" would not limit marijuana production to a certain number of chosen locations.

"Any amendment that might consolidate the prospective economic power of a legal cannabis market in the hands of a chosen few is a raw deal for the people of Ohio," Ohioans to End Prohibition President Sri Kavuru and attorney Jacob Wagner wrote in a press release sent early Thursday morning.

Revenue from taxes and licensing fees would fund Ohio's public pension systems, drug education programs, and medical treatment for those suffering from addiction, according to an outline of the proposal on the group's website. The amendment would allow Ohio farms to grow industrial hemp. Local governments could choose to ban cannabis production and distribution in their communities.

Kavuru and Wagner said in an interview they planned to announce the plan later this year but were prompted to act early after reports surfaced another group was planning an amendment for the November 2015 ballot.

That group, ResponsibleOhio, plans to pitch a proposal to legalize recreational and medicinal marijuana for adults over age 21 but limit production to "10 tightly regulated, heavily taxed growing locations," according to a December press release. Tax revenue would fund "vital public services" in local communities.

ResponsibleOhio spokeswoman Lydia Bolander said Thursday the group will roll out its plan in the coming weeks. The group's website responsibleohio.org displays a clock counting down to Jan. 15.

"[When the amendment is released] people will be happy with it, comfortable with it," Bolander said. "And we think it will be great for Ohio."

Similarly, Ohio voters authorized legal gambling in 2009, but at four specific locations. Wagner said limiting production creates a constitutional monopoly and ensures a strong black market will persist to meet demand.

"They're the same kind of politically entrenched, financially entrenched interests that passed the casino amendment and the sin tax in Cleveland," Wagner said.

Neither group has made public its amendment language nor passed the first hurdle in the initiated statute process, which requires supporters to submit 1,000 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters and constitutionally-sound ballot language to the state attorney general.

Once language is approved, the groups would need to collect more than 305,591 valid signatures -- meeting a threshold from 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.

Recent proposals to legalize marijuana for medical treatment have failed to collect enough signatures or raise enough money to hire signature gatherers and run a successful campaign.

A February 2014 Quinnipiac University poll of Ohio voters found 87 percent support the use of medical marijuana while only 11 percent oppose. Ohio voters also narrowly approve of allowing adults to possess small amounts of the drug for personal use -- 51 percent in favor, 44 percent opposed.