SIDNEY — On Tuesday, ResponsibleOhio delivered 695,273 petition signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, including 2,002 signatures from Shelby County, to qualify for the November 2015 ballot.
“I am so proud of the hard work and dedication our team has shown in gathering this many signatures,” said ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James. “With Tuesday’s filing, ResponsibleOhio took the last critical step toward qualifying for the November 2015 ballot. We look forward to continuing our conversation with voters about the urgency of marijuana reform, the critical need to offer patients access to medical marijuana and the thousands of jobs that will be created by legalizing marijuana.”
By the time the legal marijuana market stabilizes in 2020, ResponsibleOhio projects that the industry will generate $554 million in new tax revenue statewide. Shelby County and its municipal governments are projected to receive a total of $2,038,311in new tax revenue each year should the amendment pass.
Projections show the marijuana industry in Ohio will create ample opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment, with around 10,000 jobs predicted statewide. Ohioans will have the opportunity to own and operate one of the state’s 1,150 retail stores or additional medical dispensaries, testing labs or product manufacturing facilities. There will be new employment opportunities at these facilities and at each of the state’s 10 growing facilities.
Brice Keller, an Iraq War veteran and Dayton-area attorney, praised ResponsibleOhio’s announcement, saying, “I, like so many other veterans, have struggled to find successful treatment for PTSD since coming home. I firmly believe that all Ohioans should have access to medical marijuana for treatment, and that it should be fully legalized for personal use by adults 21 years of age and older. ResponsibleOhio’s amendment will do just that, and I’m proud to support it.”
ResponsibleOhio’s Marijuana Legalization Amendment will legalize marijuana for medical use and personal use by adults 21 years of age and older.
