COLUMBUS – ResponsibleOhio, the campaign to legalize marijuana for medical and personal use, recently released an outline of the amendment they will file with the Ohio Attorney General’s office in early February.
“ResponsibleOhio will give voters a chance in November to legalize marijuana for medical and personal use for adults 21 and older,” said Chris Stock, a campaign representative who helped draft the amendment. “Marijuana in Ohio will be safe, controlled, tested and clearly labeled for medical and personal use. Our plan will also create opportunities for Ohioans to own and operate retail stores and manufacturing facilities, which will create thousands of new jobs in an emerging market.”
The amendment outline shows that marijuana will be grown at 10 tightly regulated facilities, and then quality-checked for safety at five testing facilities. The safe, labeled and sealed marijuana will then be made into wholesale products at manufacturing facilities, and sold to consumers at licensed retail stores approved by local voters.
Medical marijuana will be available at not-for-profit medical dispensaries for patients with debilitating medical conditions and a medical certification from their doctor.
“This proposal not only legalizes marijuana for adults over 21 years of age, it imposes a 15 percent flat tax at each stage – growing, wholesale production and retail – that will bring hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue to our communities for vital public services,” Stock said. “The amendment also creates the Ohio Marijuana Control Commission, a tough regulatory agency that will ensure marijuana businesses follow the law at each step in the supply chain.”
“ResponsibleOhio will not only eradicate the dangerous black market, we will replace it with a safer, better market,” Stock said.
Stock is an attorney practicing in Cincinnati with a breadth of experience in public policy and regulatory law.
In December, ResponsibleOhio announced it would seek voter approval for its amendment in 2015. The full text of the amendment will be available in early February.
