COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General David Yost approved on Friday language for an initiative marijuana proponents are planning on circulating which would legalize recreational pot within the state.

Yost previously rejected the proponents’ language for not providing a “fair and true” summary of the proposed legislation. Yost’s office said the next step is to determine whether the proposal contains a single law or multiple laws. Once that is determined, petitioners can begin collecting signatures. 

If the group is successful in collecting 132,000 signatures from valid Ohio voters, the initiative would go before Ohio lawmakers, who could accept the proposal as presented. If lawmakers decline, the question could go before voters in 2022. 

“We are proposing to regulate marijuana for adult use, just like we do for alcohol. Our proposal fixes a broken system while ensuring local control, keeping marijuana out of the hands of children, and benefiting everyone,” said Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Spokesman Tom Haren in a statement.

The bill would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces for adults 21 and older to use cannabis in most forms.

Currently, possession of small amounts of marijuana is considered a minor misdemeanor.

In 2015, Ohio voters soundly turned down — by a 64-36 margin — a ballot measure that would have legalized limited use and possession of recreational marijuana in Ohio. In the years since, a number of states have made recreational marijuana legal.

Unlike the 2015 measure, this proposal would be a statute and not an amendment to the state constitution.