This happened about a month ago, but the
Ohio Rights Group reportedly say they have the 385,247 signatures from at least 44 Ohio counties required to get the industrial hemp and medical marijuana questions on the November ballot with the petitions required by July 5th. They won't release their accumulated count though and they say this after disrupting precinct voters for their signatures on May 6th. If they do have the 385K signatures they say they do, they should have an extra 50K at least for backup on other signatures that could end up being denied. DeWine approved the initial signatures for circulation in 2011 and subsequent approval in 2012 by Husted's Ballot Board after believing the amendment only addressed one issue. They only gained 5,000 sigs in 2012,
As for the legislature, no bill will ever pass here since we have a GOP super-majority and it's mostly a partisan effort by a few Democrats. State Rep. Bob Hagan (D-Youngstown) sponsored a bill and a resolution (HB153 and HJR6) in the Ohio House to legalize medical marijuana and another that would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana if approved by initiative. Neither bill has even made it out of committee though since Health & Aging Committee Chairman Lynn Wachtman (R) strongly opposes both bills. The Ohio Senate has seen little to nothing done on it, but former State Rep. Kenny Yuko, a staunch marijuana supporter, was elected to the Ohio Senate this year, so he might try proposing something, to.
If this does make the ballot, there's no doubt it would get passed. Quinnipiac's Feb. 2014 poll had Ohioans in favor of medical marijuana by a nearly unanimous
87-11 margin. I still stand by my belief on both types of marijuana though and will be one of the 11% to vote against it if it does make it to the Nov. ballot, sorry to say.
