Not sure I like this one. Only 10 businesses get to grow if this passes? BS! :flamer:

http://cannabisnews.com/news/28/thread28452.shtml

Ohio — Ohioans may be asked this fall to legalize — and tax — personal use of marijuana for those 21 and older, and to make medical marijuana available to people with qualifying illnesses.

ResponsibleOhio leaders said today they will mount a well-funded campaign to gather signatures to place the issue on the November ballot as an Ohio constitutional amendment. The wording of the issue is expected to be submitted to Attorney General Mike DeWine by early February.

Unlike other marijuana issues being circulated, ResponsibleOhio’s plan differs because it is a for-profit model. Ten individuals who invest in the campaign would, if the issues passes, have exclusive rights to operate one of 10 “tightly regulated” businesses in the “growth and cultivation of marijuana and the extraction of cannabinoids.”

Christopher D. Stock, 39, a Cincinnati attorney and lead drafter of the proposal, said the proposal will “give voters a chance in November to legalize marijuana for medical and personal use for adults 21 and older. “Marijuana in Ohio will be safe, controlled, tested and clearly labeled for medical and personal use. Our plan will also create opportunities for Ohioans to own and operate retail stores and manufacturing facilities, which will create thousands of new jobs in an emerging market.”

Stock said the plan would regulate the now illegal marijuana market, provide assurances the product receive is safe and unadulterated, help curb suffering by making medicinal marijuana available, create jobs in a new industry, and provide needed money for government.

The proposal calls for creation of a seven-member Ohio Marijuana Control Commission appointed by the governor.

Growers would pay a flat 15-percent tax on revenue, as would marijuana manufacturing and retail sales operations, under the proposal.

Tax revenue, projected to be tens of millions of dollars annually, would be distributed on a per-capita basis. It would allocate 55 percent to an “Municipal and Township Government Stabilization Fund,” 30 percent to a “Strong County Fund” for law enforcement, economic development, and infrastructure, and 15 percent to a “Compassionate Care Fund” to pay for operation of the state commission, non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries, addiction and treatment programs, and marijuana research at Ohio public universities.

Only one or two of the investors have been made public. James Gould is a Cincinnati sports agent, businessman, and member of the board of directors of numerous organizations. Gould’s sister, Barbara, who served on the Ohio Arts Council Board and other arts organizations, also will invest.

Opponents are blasting the proposal.

“ResponsibleOhio will ask voters to approve 10 constitutionally protected marijuana cartels,” said Jon Allison, a Columbus attorney representing the Drug Free Action Alliance. “What is strangely missing is the actual wording of their proposed amendment. As with all proposed constitutional amendments, the devil will be in the details … Makes you wonder what there is to hide here.”

Personally, I would oppose any proposal for legalization that does not allow the people to grow their own. Hey Washington state!  :butwiggle:  It’s a plant given to us by nature for crap sakes! :hammertime:

:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin