marijuana plants

Several groups are vying to legalize marijuana in Ohio for medical and personal use, and the competition has sparked supporters to push their cause harder.

(Elaine Thompson/AP)

Previous stories

Lorain mayor knew land was for marijuana farm, says plan would bring jobs, tax dollars

Marijuana legalization proposal calls for 10 indoor growing facilities -- 3 in Northeast Ohio

Here's where Ohio's marijuana farms would be built, under ResponsibleOhio ballot proposal

Marijuana legalization proposal would establish research hub in Cuyahoga County

Marijuana legalization campaign ResponsibleOhio has spent nearly $1.3 million

Bipartisan marijuana bill would legalize medication derived from the drug

Ohio marijuana legalization investors include Frostee Rucker, Oscar Robertson

Republican officials oppose marijuana legalization, Auditor Dave Yost quips Constitution could allow monopoly on 'whorehouses' if voters approved

ResponsibleOhio says marijuana legalization would create jobs, eliminate black market

Pro-pot group ResponsibleOhio details marijuana legalization plan: 5 highlights

Second campaign to legalize marijuana announces plan for 2016 ballot issue

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the back room of a bar north of downtown, representatives from four groups vying to bring legal weed to Ohio presented their plans.

The Central Ohio chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws brought the groups together last week for a "respectful and thoughtful" conversation.

All was civil until the last few minutes, when someone in the crowd interrupted the moderator with a question for ResponsibleOhio, the group pitching a regulated marijuana industry limited to 10 grow sites promised to campaign backers.

"The question that no one's really asking but I think everyone wants to know is how is creating a cartel benefit anyone besides the people who profit from it?"

The room erupted in applause but was quieted by event organizers, who said the question was inappropriate for the forum.

Since ResponsibleOhio unveiled its plan in January, its biggest opposition has been from other marijuana legalization supporters. But the increased attention on the issue, statewide, has both helped and hurt other efforts to put their ideas before voters.

To make the November 2015 ballot, these groups must have their language certified by the attorney general and submit 1,000 valid signatures of Ohio voters. Then, petitioners must collect more than 305,591 valid signatures -- meeting a certain threshold in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties -- before July 1.

Mobile readers: We've broken this story into several pieces so you can jump directly to any section that interests you. You can hit "back" to return to this list.

Competition Excitement Too much, too soon?

Competition

The year 2015 was supposed to be a building year for marijuana legalization groups in Ohio -- a year to get ready for a 2016 ballot issue, to collect signatures, to spread their messages across the state. Colorado had one year of legalization under its belt. Alaska and Oregon voters approved full legalization in 2014. Medical marijuana is now legal in almost half the United States.

But now, in addition to pushing their own plans, marijuana groups are battling newcomers with deep pockets seeking to pass their plan this year.

Responsible Ohioans for Cannabis -- not ResponsibleOhio -- registered its name with the state in 2011 and has been working on its amendment for even longer. The group's proposed constitutional amendment is the most liberal yet, aiming to make cannabis "as legal as lettuce" in Ohio.

The group's End Ohio Cannabis Prohibition Act would allow licensed farmers to grow cannabis and industrial hemp and anyone to grow and possess up to 99 plants and 99 kilograms of marijuana for personal use. The amendment does not propose new taxes above state and local sales tax.

So amendment supporters were miffed, to say the least, when a group proposing a regulated, heavily taxed legalization scheme appeared with a similar name.

Group president Don McAdams said leaders have received hate mail intended for ResponsibleOhio.

"A lot of people don't like being pushed out of an opportunity like that," McAdams said.

ResponsibleOhio's entrance prompted another newcomer to step forward with plans for full legalization. Ohioans to End Prohibition planned to announce its November 2016 constitutional amendment in June, but has moved up its timetable.

OTEP attorney Jacob Wagner said the group is working to complete six months of work in about eight weeks.

"We have to present that alternative," Wagner said. "We don't want people to think that ResponsibleOhio is the only way it's going to get done here."

OTEP's amendment calls for licensing commercial growers and retailers but would allow Ohioans to grow smaller amounts for personal use. Adults over age 21 and medical marijuana patients could legally buy, use and possess marijuana.

Wagner said pro-legalization supporters are seeking OTEP out once they hear about ResponsibleOhio's plan.

Ohio Rights Group, which is seeking to legalize medical marijuana only, was aiming for the 2016 ballot. Now, ORG President John Pardee said, the group is preparing to go in 2015 as an alternative to ResponsibleOhio. Pardee said the group has collected more than 150,000 signatures of Ohio voters -- about half of what's required to qualify for the ballot -- with its all-volunteer network.

"It's a battle for the heart and soul of this new economy," Pardee said. "The wealthy are starting to see this new market and step on it right out of the crib."

Paul Beck, a political science professor at Ohio State University, said competing proposals can do more harm for an issue than good.

"Voters, when it comes to these propositions, are inherently conservative in that they favor the status quo unless they see good reason for change, and if an issue becomes complicated, the tendency is to vote no," Beck said.

Ian James, executive director of ResponsibleOhio, is confident his amendment will get on the ballot. James said ResponsibleOhio took the discussion about legalization "from tie-dye to suit and tie." James said other pro-pot groups are well-intentioned but haven't been able to jump through the necessary hoops.

"The problem is they do not have the organizational skills or the funding to achieve their goals, and that is not a knock on them," said James, whose Columbus firm The Strategy Network collected signatures to qualify the 2009 casino initiative for the ballot. "It takes an incredible amount of organization and incredible amount of money... to get this going and done."

Excitement

Pro-pot groups have struggled in the past to get an issue on the ballot because they don't have the millions of dollars necessary to hire signature gatherers and educate voters. ResponsibleOhio spent nearly $1.3 million on consultants and public relations before even releasing a draft of its amendment.

The possibility voters will be asked to legalize marijuana -- even if it's for a plan deemed to have many flaws -- is exciting for some legalization supporters.

Rob Ryan, president of the Ohio chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said for all the complaints about ResponsibleOhio, there is certainly excitement. Ohio NORML, which sponsored the information session in Columbus, will collect signatures for any group that passes the initial hurdle of getting petition language certified by the Ohio attorney general.

"I've been telling folks marijuana legalization is going to happen, so you just need to deal with it," Ryan said. "If they look concerned, I'm going to pat them on the arm and say it's going to be OK."

Ohio Rights Group President Pardee said the attention reignited his group's campaign, which began collecting signatures in 2013.

"People are coming back to Ohio Rights Group and people are starting to give us a serious look," Pardee said. "We're looking to tell people there's hope. We're going to have a good model that's good for patients, good for farmers and good for veterans."

The group's Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment would legalize marijuana and hemp farms to licensed growers and allow Ohioans with debilitating conditions to use the drug.

Too much, too soon?

Medical marijuana is legal in 23 states and Washington, D.C. but only four states -- Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska -- have legalized the drug for personal, recreational use.

From a national perspective, Ohio is not on the map of states to legalize marijuana in the next two years.

The Marijuana Policy Project, a national organization that drafts model ballot language and laws and assists state campaigns, has committed to efforts in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Chris Lindsey, a policy analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said it's not unusual to have competing ballot issues within a state. Lindsey said Ohio is unique in two ways: ResponsibleOhio's proposal is driven by business interests and three of the four proposals are to legalize recreational marijuana use as well as medicinal.

Lindsey said full legalization is an easier sell to voters after a state has first legalized medical marijuana.

"You're not going from 0 to 60 with an adult retail market," Lindsey said. "You're saying here's how the state can make a functional system, the sky doesn't fall and you see how government can be involved."

The majority of Ohio voters -- 87 percent -- approve of marijuana for medical use, but only about half -- 51 percent -- support legalizing personal use, according to a February 2014 Quinnipiac University poll.

And ResponsibleOhio is aiming for the ballot this year, an off-off-year election with a much lower, more conservative turnout than presidential election years. James, ResponsibleOhio's executive director, said the lower turnout and lack of political candidates helps his campaign.

"We're able to have a deeper conversation with people and we're really able to listen to what the voters are saying and approach things in a far more macro level than we would in a presidential or gubernatorial election," James said.

Ohioans to End Prohibition leaders think 2016 is a much more favorable year for the issue in Ohio and hope to get national organizations and donors on board with its amendment.

"People are paying attention now to Ohio when it comes to this issue in a way that they haven't been before," OTEP attorney Wagner said. "There are a lot of people around the country worried about [ResponsibleOhio's amendment] passing here because others will try to replicate it."