The Ohio Secretary of State’s office yesterday confirmed that a statewide ballot proposal seeking to permit the personal use and commercial production and retail sale of cannabis will appear on the November ballot. Proponents of the measure, Responsible Ohio, gathered sufficient signatures to place the issue before voters as a constitutional amendment.
Ohio now has the opportunity to join Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. as states that have passed laws allowing for the personal possession and consumption of cannabis by adults.
If enacted, the measure would initially establish 10 state-licensed commercial growing sites. (State regulators will have the opportunity to grant additional licenses if these initial production sites do not adequately meet demand.) Commercially produced cannabis will be sold at over 1,000 proposed retail dispensaries.
A minimum of five regional marijuana testing facilities will be established to regularly check the chemical compounds found in the product for adequate labeling for consumers and regulators.
Additionally, residents over the age of 21 will be allowed to purchase a $50 license to grow their own marijuana plants with a limit of 4 plants per household and/or 8 ounces of useable product at a time. The amendment also establishes a non-profit medical marijuana dispensary system to provide access to those patients with a recommendation from a physician. Medical marijuana will not be taxed and will be provided on a needs-based fee system. Commercial marijuana production will be taxed at 5% when purchased for personal use and 15% at the wholesale and manufacturing level.
You can read the full text of the amendment here.
@Robert, that’s hilarious! Right now the money goes to El Chapo! Don’t look for him though as I am sure he’s had an excellent plastic surgery procedure to conceal his identity.
not understanding so if the monopoly issue passes would it void the legaization issue or what happens if they both pass
[Paul Armentano responds: Ultimately, if both measures pass, this issue will end up before the courts. Proponents of Measure 2 are claiming that its passage would nullify all provisions of the marijuana measure: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/08/what_happens_if_both_marijuana.html.%5D
Ohio mm commission…talk about control of free enterprise by the greedy rich…it’s a plant…get a life you greedy ignorance of abuse.
Found a way to dictate weed….WOW
Watching ufo footage, I think our gov has more pressing issues than us mj consumers. Tell the buttheads to get up off their old lazy, greedy assess and legalize! Quit pretending you are all Gods and we are your subjects!
The system is broken, this is a step in the right direction. It is a pity there are so many people against this. Not everyone in Ohio can afford to grow medical grade marijuana. So many people oppose this, because they can not grow for profit. They cant currently legally now, why withhold life saving medicine from children because you cant make a buck…So stupid
So who came up with the 4 plant max? And does that mean 4plants that are flowering, verging, or drying? And how big can each plant be? After you harvest and have your 8 oz’s do you have to wait to start more plants or can you start growing again???? WHO COMES UP WITH THESE RULES!!!!!!
@ Patriot,
Totally agree.
I too am not the happiest with the ResponsibleOhio plan due to its oligopoly on GROW SITES (note, NOT dispensaries or retail outlets), but I do still intend to vote for it as a pragmatic person.
Let’s put things in perspective here. Our General Assembly has sat around with their thumbs up their asses on his issue since 1978. On top of that, they were so vested in continuing the failed prohibition that ONLY when it became clear that the RO effort would get on the ballot did they do anything. That thing wasn’t to come up with their own plan.
No, instead they passed H.R 4 (now Issue 2) designed SOLELY to block the will of the petition’s signatories (of which I am proud to say I am one), through specifically-targeted language. These COWARDLY Assemblymen didn’t think the State Constitution was “under attack” when the casino amendment was on the ballot, which also created an oligopoly, so why is it suddenly one now? Because it challenges their prohibitionist views, that’s why!
The main fear I have, though, is that should Issue 3 fail, we give the Assembly basically all the time in the world to draft up another amendment that permanently blocks any further attempt to legalize in this state.
THAT is something that NOBODY wants. And hey, if you think there should be more grow sites, there’s a simple solution: pass Issue 3, and then buy as much as you can. Show that the demand outpaces the supply, and you’ll trigger the clauses that expand supply to meet demand.
The TL;DR version: Voting no on Issue 3 because you simply don’t like the plan offered is the same as voting no because you want to continue prohibition.