Pubdate: Mon, 18 May 2015 Source: Dayton Daily News (OH) Copyright: 2015 Dayton Daily News Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/7JXk4H3l Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/120 Author: Tom Troy, The (Toledo) Blade PRO-POT GROUP PLANS TO GIVE AWAY $100 BILL WITH SPECIAL SERIAL NUMBER Bill would entitle bearer to apply for license to grow pot. A Toledo pro-marijuana group is giving away a $100 bill to celebrate winning approval from the Ohio Ballot Board, the group's chairman said Thursday. And not just any $100 bill. A $100 bill with one of 30 special serial numbers that will entitle the bearer to apply for a license to commercially grow marijuana. Ed Howard of Toledo, chairman of the organization Better for Ohio, said the Willy Wonka-sounding plan is designed to make sure that more people can grow pot in Ohio than would be allowed under the leading marijuana-legalization plan being promoted by ResponsibleOhio. Howard said he would hold a contest to give away one of the 30 C-notes. The rest can be obtained only by contributing $75,000 to Better for Ohio's campaign to raise signatures to pass its proposed Constitutional amendment. "We're so excited about it we're putting up a contest to give away one of these sites to a lucky Ohioan who meets the age and other requirements," said Howard, who is self-employed building architectural models. The entry form to apply for one of the golden tickets is at BetterForOhio.org. The Ohio Ballot Board on Thursday approved the form of the proposed Better for Ohio amendment. That clears the way for the group to begin collecting signatures. More than 305,000 signatures of Ohio registered voters are needed to get the proposed Constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot. Better for Ohio is not connected with ResponsibleOhio, which has been gathering signatures on its own amendment since March. ResponsibleOhio has collected close to 300,000 signatures toward its goal of 700,000 signatures. In addition, it has financial commitments of $4 million from each of the 10 business entities that own the parcels on which commercial pot will be allowed to be grown. Howard said he believes the limitation of 10 commercial pot farms is a flaw in the ResponsibleOhio amendment. He included ResponsibleOhio's 10 parcels in his amendment in hopes that the group will agree its plan is flawed and endorse his plan. Like the ResponsibleOhio amendment, it would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of pot. Ian James, the executive director of ResponsibleOhio, said Howard's trading in $100 bills could be a violation of securities law. "We're flattered by the imitation, but we are concerned for the BOF committee and investors who will undoubtedly have securities regulators and others probing the legality of what they are doing," James said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom