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Ballot Issue Seeking to Legalize Medical Marijuana & Hemp Clears Hurdle
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A statewide ballot issue seeking to legalize both medical marijuana and industrial hemp in Ohio this fall has cleared an initial hurdle with Attorney General Mike DeWine certifying the petition summary.
Thursday’s action sends the Grassroots Ohio measure to the Ohio Ballot Board, which determines whether it’s one issue or two.
The group’s last summary was rejected March 21. DeWine said it failed to divulge that industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis would be “researched, regulated, and promoted by the state in a manner substantially similar to other agricultural crops.” He also said the earlier wording misrepresented how the age limit of 21 would work.
DeWine, a Republican, says it’s now “fair and truthful.” He noted he wasn’t passing judgment on the advisability of legalizing marijuana as a policy matter.