Pubdate: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Copyright: 2015 The Columbus Dispatch Contact: http://www.dispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93 Author: Alan Johnson POT GROUP, HUSTED AT ODDS OVER SIGNATURES Ohio's smoldering marijuana legalization debate flared up on Wednesday as Secretary of State Jon Husted launched an investigation of ResponsibleOhio's petition and the group countered with a harassment allegation written by a former Ohio Supreme Court justice. All this came on the eve of today's make-or-break deadline for ResponsibleOhio to submit additional valid signatures of registered voters to qualify for the Nov. 3 general-election ballot. ResponsibleOhio fell nearly 30,000 signatures short of the number required to get on the fall ballot. The shortfall triggered a dispute between ResponsibleOhio and Husted's office. The group must turn in enough new valid signatures by today to fill the gap and qualify for the ballot. Husted picked David Bowers, a Lima, Ohio, lawyer and former Allen County prosecutor, as special investigator to look into the signature-gathering and submission process for the pot-legalization constitutional amendment. Bowers was tasked to look at "significant disparities" between signatures on the petition that ResponsibleOhio collected and submitted, Husted said in a statement. He warned that if the investigation finds fraud, it could result in felony charges. ResponsibleOhio lawyered up with former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Andy Douglas and high-profile Columbus lawyer Larry James. "Instead of working with us and addressing the problems within his office and at the County Boards of Election, Secretary Husted has slapped us with a subpoena meant to silence us and chill any future opposition," Douglas said in a statement. "He even deputized a former prosecutor to investigate us, then bragged about his past success gaining convictions, all in a further attempt to frighten, harass and silence us. "We will not be silenced and ultimately it is Secretary Husted who will have to answer for his actions, and those of the County Boards of Election, in a court of law," said Douglas, a fiery jurist who served on the Ohio Supreme Court from 1985 to 2002. James accused Husted of attempting to "punish" ResponsibleOhio for publicly pointing out discrepancies in the signature totals. "We were merely exercising our First Amendment right to raise legitimate challenges and concerns," James said. Husted says that his staff counted every signature submitted but ResponsibleOhio made a big math mistake, turning in 35,083 fewer signatures than it stated, for a total of 660,190. ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James said previously that his organization kept a digital record of all 695,273 signatures submitted and elections officials in some counties erred by failing to review and count all names. Husted will subpoena Ian James and ResponsibleOhio records along with those of the Strategy Network, a ballot-issue consulting firm, as part of the investigation. Ian James said last week his organization will file a challenge with the Ohio Supreme Court over the disputed signature count. On another marijuana issue, Attorney General Mike DeWine rejected the language on a medical-marijuana proposal on Wednesday. DeWine said he found "at least four defects" in the proposal submitted by Ohio Medical Cannabis Care LLC, the group backing the issue. He said the defects included two issues with patient-registry cards, a timetable for certain required actions, and a problem with the legal penalty for those who administer medical marijuana to underage patients. The proposed ballot issue and DeWine's letter are online at www.ohio attorneygeneral.gov/ BallotInitiatives - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom