State officials must now conduct an official assessment of the signature petitions and verify their authenticity before determining whether the two measures will appear on the November ballot.
Author: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Legislative proposals that seek to legalize the adult-use cannabis market have advanced in several states in recent days.
The legislation authorizes already licensed hemp growers to obtain temporary conditional licenses to commercially cultivate and process cannabis for the state’s forthcoming adult-use market.
State lawmakers have rejected a series of legislative proposals that sought to curtail how and where patients could access and use medical cannabis.
NORML has long opined that patients must have access to cannabis flowers, stating: “Orally administered non-herbal forms of cannabis possess delayed onset and their effects are far less predictable than those of herbal cannabis.
“We are ready and eager to work with Ohio legislators over the next four months to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Ohio,” CTRMLA spokesman Tom Haren said in a press release. “We are also fully prepared to collect additional signatures and take this issue directly to voters on November 8, 2022, if legislators fail to act.”
This vote is the latest of many actions taken by lawmakers to undue voters’ actions on Election Day, when they approved a pair of ballot initiatives legalizing marijuana for both medical and adult-use purposes.
“A patient’s treatment options should not be limited by the government, but rather should be determined in confidence between a patient and their doctor. Doctors should be fully empowered to decide what treatment options are best — free from political interference.”
The updated purchasing rule, which increases the quantity of cannabis flower a customer can buy per transaction from one ounce to two ounces, took effect on January 1.