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State Lawmakers Eye Process To Amend Constitution

State lawmakers seem to be moving closer to changing the process by which citizen activists - including business owners - can put constitutional amendments before voters. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports.

Republican Senate President Keith Faber of Celina said the worries about the constitution being too easy to change go back to long before the latest proposal that would put the legalization of marijuana, along with 10 growing sites, before voters.

"We have been working for about the last 18 months on trying to address this issue about private property rights being enshrined in the constitution," Faber said.

But Ian James with ResponsibleOhio, which created the marijuana legalization amendment, says since only about a quarter of amendments put on the ballot by citizens pass, he's not sure what the hurry is - "...unless the concern is that a majority of Ohioans are going to agree that we should legalize medical and personal use of marijuana."

Faber said he's like to see something done this summer, and Republican House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger of Clarksville has said moving quicker and sooner would be better.