The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) announced their measure won’t appear on the 2022 ballot this November. The group is working to legalize marijuana in Ohio. The group has established a path to ballot access for the 2023 elections as part of a settlement with the Ohio secretary of state, and key legislators. 

“To be certain: we aren’t going anywhere and are undeterred in our goal to legalize cannabis for all adults in Ohio,” Tom Haren of CTRMLA said in a press release on Friday, May, 13.

CTRMLA filed a lawsuit in April. The group was concerned that the secretary of state might challenge them based on the timing of their signature submission. 

Pushing for Legalization 

Getting a legislative proposal on a ballot is no easy task. First, CTRMLA had to submit at least 132,887 valid signatures to the state, and give the legislature four months to consider the reform measure. The group did submit the signatures, but the legislature declined to move forward with it. 

Next, the campaign needed to submit an additional 132,887 new signatures to place the issue on the ballot. However, the legislature told advocates the timeline might be wrong. The state constitution requires they submit initial signatures within 10 days of the beginning of the legislative session. Advocates did not submit until well into the legislative session, as they were not aware of the rule.

Next Steps

CTRMLA advocates filed a lawsuit with the state, hoping the courts would rule in their favor. Unfortunately, the case did not play out that way. 

However, CTRMLA and the state came to a compromise. The state will preserve the signatures already submitted.  CTRMLA will then resubmit the signatures at the beginning of the 2023 legislative session to stay within that new timeline rule. This compromise creates a clear path to first put the measure in the legislature, then the 2023 ballot if lawmakers don’t make a move on the measure themselves. 

“We are delighted to have reached this settlement, which has preserved our initial signatures, provided the General Assembly with a second opportunity to consider the proposed statute, and established a clear path to ballot access in 2023,” Haren said. 

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