According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost “An Act to Control and Regulate Adult Use Cannabis”, a marijuana legalization proposal, from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol did not meet the necessary requirements for his approval.

The proposal seeks to in order to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The proposal would have added a chapter to the Ohio Revised Code and legalized recreational cannabis for adults 21 & older and created rules for sales, possession, and home cultivation.

A press release on Yost’s government website states “I note that your Petition does not seek to enact a single law; rather, it seeks to add an entire chapter to the Ohio Revised Code.”  Yost goes on to state that he believes the legalization initiative did not provide an accurate summary on multiple counts. 

“For these reasons, I am unable to certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed chapter. However, I must caution that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all defects in the submitted summary,” Yost wrote. “Finally, I recommend that the Petitioners carefully review and scrutinize the remainder of the summary to ensure that it accurately captures the proposed chapter’s definitions, contents, and purport before it is resubmitted to this Office.”

Tom Haren, spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, briefly commented on the attorney general’s decision. “We’re reviewing. But we do plan to resubmit.” The Coalition is already planning to circulate its petition as a statewide initiative which would allow citizens to propose a law change directly to the state legislature.

Yost asserts he isn’t trying to deter the advocacy group, but that his suggestions should be taken into consideration when they resubmit signatures in the future. 

“In total, the summary does not properly advise a potential signer of a proposed measure’s character and limitations,” Yost wrote.