Too Much Pot

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Monday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in Ohio. The proposal's backers, ResponsibleOhio, plan to resubmit language later this month.

(Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)

Legalizing marijuana

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

for an update on the status of those efforts.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Monday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize marijuana use in Ohio.

Political action committee ResponsibleOhio is pitching a legal medical and recreational marijuana industry with pot supplied from 10 specific growing sites, which have been promised to wealthy campaign backers. Taxes collected from sales at every level of the supply chain would provide revenue for local governments.

The first step to putting an issue on the ballot is submitting a summary of the proposed amendment and 1,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters to the state attorney general. DeWine's office decides whether the summary is a "fair and truthful" representation of the proposed amendment.

DeWine informed ResponsibleOhio the summary fell short in two areas:

It doesn't mention that the proposed amendment allows adults over age 21 to share specified amounts of marijuana.

It does not "accurately reflect the manner in which proposed taxes would be distributed."

DeWine also noted that one of the proposed marijuana growing sites identified in the amendment possibly violates the amendment's restriction on where the sites can be located. The amendment would prohibit growing sites, marijuana product manufacturing and packaging and retail stores from being within 1,000 feet of a "house of worship," public library, public elementary or secondary school, state-licensed child care center or playground adjacent to those facilities.

DeWine's rejection is somewhat of a moot point -- ResponsibleOhio announced last week it would be submitting a new amendment and summary. The revised language allows adults over age 21 to grow up to four flowering marijuana plants for personal use, as long as they apply for a license.

The new language also changed the sites to exclude Moraine, near Dayton. City officials there believed the site would violate the 1,000-foot provision and had written DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted for advice.

ResponsibleOhio plans to resubmit amendment language and signatures later this month. If approved by the attorney general and deemed a single ballot issue by the Ohio Ballot Board, the group must then collect more than 305,591 signatures of Ohio registered voters by July 1 to put the issue on the November ballot.

Mobile readers, click here to read the letter from the attorney general.