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Proposal to Ban Monopolies, Including Marijuana Business, Sent to Fall Ballot
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – State lawmakers in Ohio have sent a proposal to the fall ballot that would ban constitutional monopolies, an effort with the potential to scuttle marijuana legalization in the state.
The amended measure flew through a Senate committee and both chambers over several hours Tuesday night.
It measure revises Ohio’s constitution to prohibit amendments that deliver commercial economic benefits to individuals and cartels. That includes investors in 10 designated marijuana-growing sites named in the legalization issue.
Its sponsors say the measure is necessary to protect Ohio’s constitution from well-funded private profiteering. Opponents say it strips voters of their decision-making power.
Pro-marijuana legalization group ResponsibleOhio delivered its petition signatures to Ohio’s elections chief Tuesday.