COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine rejected a recreational marijuana legalization measure backed by a group of Ohio marijuana advocates, his office announced Thursday afternoon.

The "Marijuana Rights and Regulations Amendment" to the Ohio Constitution would allow people age 21 and older to possess, produce, transport, use, sell and share cannabis.

The legislature would have to create laws treating marijuana impairment similar to those of alcohol, and Ohio residents would have first dibs on marijuana business licenses. The amendment would leave in place Ohio's nascent medical marijuana program.

Unlike Ohio's failed 2015 legalization measure, the new amendment is not backed by wealthy investors, nor does it promise business licenses to campaign backers.

DeWine's job at this early stage in the ballot issue process is to certify that the summary included on petitions accurately describes the proposed amendment.

DeWine said in a letter rejecting the group's petition that there were at least three instances where the amendment summary didn't match the full text:

The summary says the General Assembly has the authority to regulate marijuana commerce, but that doesn't accurately match the amendment.

The summary doesn't mention that marijuana businesses are only lawful in precincts where a majority votes for the amendment.

The summary doesn't reference the requirement that lawmakers "enact and enable laws, rules, and regulations" within 240 days after the amendment takes effect.

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

What's the next step?

The group backing the petition is called Ohio Families for Change, which wants to end marijuana prohibition in a manner that supports safety, well-being, social justice and economic equality. Tom Jackson, one of the petitioners, said the group will make changes and resubmit language and the necessary 1,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters as early as next week.

The group wanted to put the measure on the November ballot. But that seems unlikely without major funding and with only a few months before the deadline for this year's ballot.

Once approved by the attorney general, the bipartisan Ohio Ballot Board will then decide whether the issue is one or multiple ballot questions. Then, supporters need to collect at least 305,591 signatures of registered Ohio voters. Those signatures need to be turned in by July 4 to qualify for the November ballot.

To compare, Ohio's 2015 marijuana legalization measure, backed by more than $20 million from investors, was first submitted two months earlier on the time line. ResponsibleOhio, the organization pushing the measure, did not have enough valid signatures at first and had to collect more after the deadline.

The earliest Ohio Families for Change could begin collecting signatures would be early next month. But signatures don't expire, and the group could try to get on the ballot next year. ResponsibleOhio co-founders, Ian James and Jimmy Gould, have said they too want to put a recreational measure on the ballot in the near future.

"We're not giving up this campaign," Jackson said. "Because if we do, we're giving it to ResponsibleOhio, and we don't have any faith they'll do anything for anyone other than themselves."

James of ResponsibleOhio shot back in a statement Thursday night, empahsizing his years of experience in the marijuana legalization fight in Ohio, the nearly $29 million he says he's invested and spent to legalize and the fact that his group is the only to ever reach the statewide ballot.

"It's more than just having an idea; it's having a plan, raising awareness and the financial resources to win," he said.

What would the amendment do?

The proposed amendment would put the right to grow and possess marijuana in the Ohio Constitution and allow the state to regulate commercial production and sales.

Recreational marijuana sales would implement a licensing structure similar to beer retailers.

Marijuana businesses could locate in precincts where a majority of voters approved the measure. Other precincts could later decide.

Marijuana business license fees must be comparable to other business licenses. For example, a beer retailer pays $225 for a state permit. Ohio's medical marijuana program charges $35,000 a year for a dispensary permit.

There's no limit on how much marijuana could be bought for personal use.

Only people with two years residency in Ohio could own marijuana businesses for the first seven years the amendment is in place.

Employers could maintain drug-free workplaces.

Cleveland.com reporter Jackie Borchardt contributed to this report.

Mobile readers, click here to read a copy of the petition.