An initiative to get adult-use cannabis legalization to ballot has been stalled after being informed it needs 679 more signatures to qualify.
Launched by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA) in 2021, the initiative aims to regulate marijuana for adult use similarly to alcohol, seeking to fix “a broken system while ensuring local control, keeping marijuana out of the hands of children, and benefiting everyone.”
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At the time of submission, the petition had over 220,000 signatures, however over half were disqualified, leaving it just short of the 123,046 it needed. The campaign was informed by the Ohio Secretary of State that it has ten days from 25 july to collect the additional signatures.
In a statement, CRMLA spokesperson Tom Haren said: “I want to thank the more than 222,000 Ohioans, spanning all of Ohio’s 88 counties, who signed our petition to regulate marijuana like alcohol.
“It looks like we came up a little short in this first phase, but now we have 10 days to find just 679 voters to sign a supplemental petition – this is going to be easy, because a majority of Ohioans support our proposal to regulate and tax adult use marijuana. We look forward to giving Ohio voters a chance to make their voices heard this November.”
The news follows results of a recent USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University survey that showed that 58.6% of Ohioans support access to adult-use cannabis.
