Ohioans for Medical Marijuana said they have resubmitted their initiative petition to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, addressing his concerns from their first submission.
Supporters for a proposed 2016 ballot measure to establish a comprehensive medical marijuana program in the state resubmitted their initiative petition to DeWine on Tuesday, with more than 2,200 signatures, according to a release.
The Attorney General's office will have 10 days to examine the official summary of the initiative and confirm the petition contains at least 1,000 valid signatures from Ohio voters. The petition will then be sent to the Ohio Ballot Board, which will have another 10 days to review the measure and confirm it complies with Ohio initiative laws. Supporters will then need to collect an additional 305,591 signatures from Ohio voters by early July in order to qualify for the November ballot.
Ohioans for Medical Marijuana said in addition to addressing DeWine's comments on the summary, supporters amended the initiative to include additional debilitating medical conditions that would be covered by the program. The new version includes:
- Autism with aggressive or self-injurious behaviors
- Sickle cell anemia
- Severe fibromyalgia
- Spinal cord disease
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury or post-concussion syndrome
- Parkinson's disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Huntington's disease
The group said the new submission will also make Ohio the first state to allow medical marijuana as a treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE, a degenerative brain disease found in professional football players and others who have experienced repetitive brain trauma.
Revised versions of the full initiative can be found online.
“We’re confident that we have addressed the sections of the initiative summary that the attorney general deemed deficient,” said MPP communications director Mason Tvert. “We also expanded the list of medical conditions that will qualify for the program based on feedback we received from patients and medical professionals.
“There’s a mountain of evidence demonstrating medical marijuana can be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of debilitating conditions,” Tvert said. “Our goal is to make sure any seriously ill person who could benefit from medical marijuana will be able to access it safely and legally if their doctor recommends it.”
