A group of Ohio investors who were not awarded a state license to grow medical cannabis have devised a new legalization plan that would amend Ohio’s constitution and allow adults 21 and over to possess, grow, manufacture and dispense marijuana.
Jimmy Gould is the chairman of Green Light Acquisitions and is the go-to guy for the bill’s proposal. He’s still working on the wording so that the bill doesn’t go down in flames like Ohio’s last failed legalization attempt, Issue 3. Note, Gould was also the brainchild behind Issue 3, but now recognizes the snags that kept it from winning in any of Ohio’s 88 counties.
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Gould insists that the new law would not be at odds with the current medical program and would simply free adults to obtain cannabis, much like alcohol, without a doctor’s recommendation.
They’re going to need nearly 306,000 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot, with the deadline being July 4, 2018. Gould is hoping to finish up the language and have feet on the ground gathering signatures by next month.
An optimistic Gould says the new effort “is as different from Issue 3 as night and day. We spent a lot of time and effort to get this right. This is not Issue 3 revisited.”
After having spent $20 million on Issue 3, Gould is ready to take this new initiative to the next level, saying he’ll spend “whatever it takes” to win.
This new “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” amendment would not only legalize cannabis for adults, it would legalize industrial hemp for farmers, who would then be able to compete with neighboring states. Hemp is an excellent keeper of healthy soil and it is one crop that doesn’t need to be rotated, thus making it extremely desirable to those so inclined. There is a use for every part of the hemp plant and we the equipment to separate the relevant parts of the plant is better than ever, making it an easy crop to harvest as well.
Cities, townships and villages will be able to set their own rules as to how many if any canabis dispensaries or other marijuana related businesses are allowed, though commercial factories would have to be at least 500 feet away from schools, daycares and playgrounds.
Best of all, home cultivation will be allowed as long as it is secured and private, not to mention inaccessible to minors. The number of plants the proposed amendment would allow is not yet specified, but being able to grow one’s own is always a step in the right direction.
