As expected, Ohio lawmakers did nothing on Wednesday to enact a cannabis legalization proposal, essentially leaving it to lapse, thereby opening the door for supporters to move forward and begin collecting signatures to put the proposal to the vote next November.

What now?

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Is plan to pick up where it left off, namely getting back on the road. The coalition must collect some 124,000 signatures from 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties before the July 5 deadline, a task many believe can be successfully accomplished.

“It’s going to be on the ballot and it’s going to happen,” said Tom Haren, a coalition spokesman Ohio Capital Journal (CPJ).

Adult marijuana legalization can work alongside Ohio’s medical marijuana program, according to the CPJ. Under the Coalition’s proposal, medical patients and people over 21 would be able to purchase products from existing medical marijuana dispensaries. It’s the same system Maryland plans to use when the time comes starts legal weed sales on 1st of July.

Vote to Legalize Recreational Cannabis May Be on November Vote – Ohio Capital Journal …Your choice, Ohio, to support a bill at the ballot box and/or a bill soon to be introduced #ohioadultchoicecannabis #criminal justice reform https://t.co/DovynALR3L

The legalization measure allows persons over the age of 21 to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, or 15 grams of extract. Adult Ohioans could buy marijuana from retail stores or grow up to 12 plants in a private home where at least two adults live. Retail cannabis products would be taxed at 10 percent. Municipalities can opt out of retail sales if a majority of elected officials vote to ordinance them.

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