The group behind November’s marijuana legalization initiative said Tuesday it had collected more than enough signatures to advance a separate measure that would allow marijuana convictions to be purged.
ResponsibleOhio, the group backing Issue 3, said it collected 236,759 signatures of registered Ohio voters to put the Fresh Start Act before state lawmakers next year — 91,677 are needed to qualify. Once received by the Ohio secretary of state, the signatures will be sent to county boards of election for verification.
Issue 3 would legalize recreational and medical marijuana sales and use for adults over age 21. Commercial growing would be limited to 10 sites belonging to initiative backers, and Ohioans could grow small amounts of marijuana at home.
The Fresh Start Act would allow people with convictions made legal by Issue 3 and offenses made legal in the future to file a petition in court to reduce or eliminate their sentences or expunge, or destroy, their criminal records.
The Fresh Start Act would only apply to marijuana offenses that would become legal once Issue 3 passes such as possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana, less than 8 ounces of homegrown marijuana, and marijuana paraphernalia; growing no more than four flowering marijuana plants; and sharing those amounts with other adults.
ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James said many low-level offenders are unable to obtain employment or secure housing because of criminal background checks.
“This allows people ability to move forward,” James said at a news conference with several Ohio clergy members.
As an initiated statute, the Fresh Start Act would go before the legislature in January 2016. Lawmakers would have four months to pass the bill, pass a revised version, or reject the bill. If the language is changed or rejected, ResponsibleOhio would have to collect some 92,000 more signatures to put the measure before voters.
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