Secretary of State Jon Husted is defending the language for this fall's marijuana legalization ballot issue that sparked a lawsuit. From our Statehouse Bureau Andy Chow has more.
Issue 3 would create 10 marijuana growing sites, along with a system of taxes and regulations. The title approved for voters to see on the ballot states that Issue 3 states would "grant[s] a monopoly for the commercial production and sale of marijuana…"
Supporters of Issue 3, ResponsibleOhio, don't like the use of the word monopoly. They're challenging the ballot wording, claiming it's misleading.
But Secretary of State Jon Husted, during a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, said his office tried to make the language as simple as possible for voters.
Husted: "Not to use what I call weasel words that allow you to mask what the truth of something is versus what it really is."
The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to hear both sides of the argument next week.