Ohio Medical Use of Marijuana Amendment (2016)
| Ohio Medical Use of Marijuana Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Marijuana | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Medical Use of Marijuana Amendment did not appear on the November 8, 2016, ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment.
The measure would have amended the Ohio Constitution to legalize medical marijuana for those individuals with debilitating medical conditions and create a Medical Marijuana Control Dvision to oversee consumption and retail licensing.[1]
Ohioans for Medical Marijuana suspended their campaign after the Ohio General Assembly passed a medical marijuana legalization bill.[2]
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
The measure would have added a new Section 12 to Article XV of the Ohio Constitution.
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Ohioans for Medical Marijuana led the push for this measure, with Brandon Lynaugh as its campaign manager.[3]
Arguments in favor
Amanda Candow, a campaigner who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, said,[4]
| “ | I actually didn’t believe in medical marijuana before I had MS. ... I mean to me, it’s a crime to keep something away from somebody that it could literally save their life. ... And for you to say no because it’s illegal.[5] | ” |
Brandon Lynaugh, campaign manager for Ohioans for medical marijuana, said,[3]
| “ | I know that helpless feeling that families have when they watch someone they love have an epileptic seizure. ... Passage of this amendment will help bring relief to the suffering of thousands of patients and their families.[5] | ” |
Opposition
If you know of any opposition to this measure, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org.
Media editorials
Support
The Akron Beacon Journal printed an editorial on April 11, 2016, saying:[6]
| “ | The Ohioans for Medical Marijuana Act would allow patients coping with certain serious conditions to purchase marijuana from retail outlets or grow their own, with the approval of a physician. The state would issue licenses for businesses to grow, process, test and sell marijuana to patients who have state-issued identification cards. Overseeing all this activity would be a state Medical Marijuana Control Division.
While medical marijuana wins, and deserves, much public support, the approach in this proposal features a familiar flaw — a lengthy amendment to the Ohio Constitution. If approved, structural problems encountered in implementation would be hard to address. Once the act is in the state constitution, only another voter-approved amendment could alter it. Fortunately, lawmakers are considering a better way, passage of a bill legalizing medical marijuana, making future adjustments far easier. Legislation is being drafted in the Ohio Senate. Meanwhile, state Rep. Kirk Schuring, a Canton Republican who heads a task force on medical marijuana, has wrapped up hearings. The task force has heard from dozens of witnesses, among them physicians, attorneys and growers. It would be far better if the legislature acts first, before the Marijuana Policy Project gathers the signatures it needs or another group starts a petition drive. More, for practical and political reasons, the legislature would do well to broaden the scope of marijuana legislation to include recreational use. The practical reason goes to the complications inherent in moving part way to legalizing marijuana. Even a tight regulatory framework could not guarantee that marijuana would be used only for medical purposes. That is especially true if patients have the ability to grow their own. More, a delay in moving forward on recreational use of marijuana would risk again well-heeled investors such as the ones who backed Issue 3 to try again. Their amendment limited growing sites to places already controlled by those backing the measure. This is the pattern that played out in the passage in 2009 of an amendment establishing just four sites for casino gambling.[5] |
” |
The Canton Repository published an editorial in favor of medical marijuana legalization:[7]
| “ | Because it could ease the pain and other symptoms of people who suffer from debilitating medical conditions and because the state would be strict in its regulation of it "from seed to sale," we believe the time is right to legalize medical marijuana.[5] | ” |
Opposition
If you know of any media outlets in opposition to medical marijuana legalization, in general, or this measure, in particular, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org.
Polls
| Ohio Medical Cannabis | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Support | Oppose | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Marijuana Policy Project 2/17/2016 - 2/18/2016 | 74.0% | 22.0% | 4.0% | +/-3.8 | 672 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Path to the ballot
Petitioners needed to submit 1,000 signatures with the initial petition filing. Rob Kampia submitted the initiative petition on March 15, 2016, and was approved for signature gathering by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on March 26, 2016.[8]
Supporters needed to collect 305,591 signatures by July 6, 2016, to have the initiative placed on the November 2016 ballot.
As of May 28, 2016, Ohioans for Medical Marijuana suspended their signature collection campaign. This news came after the Ohio General Assembly passed a medical marijuana legalization bill. Ohioans for Medical Marijuana said that it was "a step forward."[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Ohio Attorney General, "Petition," accessed March 28, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Gazette, "Up in smoke: group ends Ohio medical marijuana ballot drive," May 28, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Columbus Dispatch, "Medical marijuana supporters form campaign team," April 11, 2016
- ↑ NewsNet5, "Local volunteers launch signature drive for medical marijuana ballot initiative," April 4, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Akron Beacon Journal, "Pass a law to legalize marijuana," April 11, 2016
- ↑ Canton Repository, "Editorial: It's time to legalize medical marijuana," April 17, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Attorney General, "List of petitions submitted to the Attorney General's Office," accessed April 8, 2016
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