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The Latest Legal Wrangling Over ResponsibleOhio

Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has reissued subpoenas in his investigation of the petitions of group supporting a marijuana legalization effort on the November ballot. 

Jim Letizia reports.

The move follows a federal lawsuit over Husted's review of ResponsibleOhio's petition signatures. A person identified as "John Doe" in court documents filed the suit, alleging the subpoenas seek documents from ResponsibleOhio containing personal information, in violation of the First Amendment and privacy rights of the signators. A court hearing scheduled for today was canceled after Doe withdrew a temporary restraining order request, citing Tuesday's withdrawal of the  subpoenas. Husted's special prosecutor issued them again Wednesday. ResponsibleOhio's proposal appears on the ballot as Issue 3, which would allow  adults 21 and older to buy marijuana for medicinal or recreational use and would allow them to grow up to four plants. It creates a network of 10 authorized growing locations and lays out a regulatory structure.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.