Pubdate: Sat, 20 Feb 2016
Source: Dayton Daily News (OH)
Copyright: 2016 Associated Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/7JXk4H3l
Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/120

CAMPAIGN FOR LEGAL POT ON HOLD

Group Has Trouble Raising Funds to Get Measure on Ballot.

COLUMBUS (AP) - A group that had gathered signatures to put a 
marijuana legalization proposal before Ohio voters this year said 
that effort is on hold after it had trouble fundraising for the campaign.

The Legalize Ohio 2016 campaign instead plans to partner with other 
advocates on efforts to legalize medical marijuana and to reduce 
criminal penalties for having marijuana, Cleveland.com reported.

Its political action committee, Ohioans to End Prohibition, reported 
having only $268 at the end of last month. The roughly 80,000 
signatures it had collected don't expire and could be used to qualify 
for a future ballot.

Voters rejected a ballot measure in November that would have 
legalized recreational and medical marijuana, known as Issue 3.

Meanwhile, the group plans to collect signatures for the forthcoming 
medical marijuana proposal from the Marijuana Policy Project. 
Legalize Ohio 2016 also plans to support local decriminalization efforts.

"Nobody anticipated MPP coming to the state and we're hoping this is 
going to be the better policy," spokesman Michael Hiles said. "Let's 
do this the right way and work with the coalition across the state. 
If people don't like that and don't want to vote for it, they don't 
have to. We can't sit here and keep it criminalized with no policy at 
all instead of supporting incremental change."

Hiles said he believes Ohio isn't ready to include a ballot measure 
on recreational marijuana. The four states that have legalized 
recreational usage of the drug first had a medical marijuana system 
already in place.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom