Voters in Colorado and Washington have voted to make recreational marijuana use legal in their states. The Minister of Culture ponders a world in which everybody can get stoned.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Ballot Board cleared the way on Thursday for supporters to begin collecting signatures for a ballot issue that could make medical marijuana legal in the state.

The board voted 5-0 for the issue to be presented as a single proposed constitutional amendment. If the board would have voted for separate amendments, it would likely have delayed the amendment process, supporters said.

Now, sponsors of the Cannabis Rights Amendment have to collect 385,253 signatures in at least 44 of the state's 88 counties for the proposal to qualify on a ballot. The earliest voters could vote on a measure would be in 2014.

The proposal would allow people who are 18 and over with debilitating medical conditions to use, purchase and grow marijuana. It also would set up a state committee that would regulate the crop and determine what it could be used for.

Several members of the Ohio Rights Group, sponsors of the proposal, spoke in favor of it in front of the ballot board at the today's hearing.

Bob Fitrakis, a professor at Columbus State Community College and member of the group, told Secretary of State Jon Husted and state legislators on the board that American hemp is superior to hemp that is imported from Canada and could be used to develop various products.

After the hearing, Don Wirtshafter, an attorney for the Ohio Rights Group, said the industrialization of the cannabis plant could be a boon for Ohio's economy. The attorney, who wore a suit made of hemp, said the plant could be used to produce clothing, nutritional products and even paper and rope.

Other supporters were pleased with the ballot board vote and said they were more than confident they could obtain signatures from Ohioans in support of the issue.

"This gives us the green light to move forward with our statewide campaign," said Mary Jane Borden, secretary/treasurer with the Ohio Rights Group. The proposal also has the backing of some state legislators.

State Rep. Robert F. Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat, said it is time to make marijuana legal in Ohio. The lawmaker has also submitted language to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio, though no hearings have been set in the Republican-controlled legislature.

"I keep hearing about how marijuana is a gateway drug, but that is not true," Hagan said. "I keep telling people that once we got started on sugar we started to go downhill."

Hagan said making the drug legal would clear the way for law enforcement to investigate the illegal distribution of more serious drugs like heroin and cocaine. He said police could also focus on stopping more serious crimes. Hagan also said that evidence has shown the plant does not lead users to become chemically dependent on harder drugs.

However, some legislators have not yet decided on the issue.

State Sen. Nina Turner, who voted for the proposal to be singular, said she has not yet decided on the legalization of cannabis, but said she has heard arguments about how it could help the state economically and how the drug has helped individuals with chronic illnesses.

"I'm not sure yet, I haven't really formed an opinion," Turner said. "This is the beauty of the state of Ohio. The citizens can bring an issue, a petition, and if they get enough signatures and get something on the ballot, Ohioans will be able to weigh in on it."