Ohio Attorney General rejects ballot measure to legalize marijuana

A ballot measure that would legalize marijuana in Ohio was rejected on Monday by the state's attorney general, who said the petition was not "fair and truthful."

The group Responsible Ohioans for Cannabis collected enough signatures to submit the ballot measure to Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine's office for approval. The ballot measure would have allowed voters in Ohio to approve or reject the End Ohio Cannabis Prohibition Act in the next election.

DeWine said the summary of the ballot measure was improperly written and omitted key information.

“For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment,” DeWine stated in his letter rejecting the petition. “However, I must caution that this letter is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of all defects in the submitted summary.”

Ohioans may still have a chance to vote on marijuana -- at least medical marijuana. The Ohio Rights Group is collecting signatures for a ballot measure to legalize the medical use of marijuana and the industrial use of hemp. Yet another group is collecting signatures for a ballot measure that would only legalize medical marijuana.