Governor Mike DeWine said it would be a mistake if Ohioans passed a November ballot measure to legalize the possession, purchase, and sale of marijuana by Ohio residents aged 21 and older.
The proposed initiative for the November ballot submitted by The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol aims to impose a 10 percent tax on the sale of all cannabis products, permit adults to grow up to six plants per person or 12 per household, and legalize the possession, purchase, and sale of marijuana by Ohio residents aged 21 and older.
Last week Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose certified that the measure qualifies for the November ballot, sending the initiative to the Ohio Ballot Board to decide what text will appear on the ballot when people vote on the proposal this autumn.
According to DeWine, there are a number of reasons why passing this ballot measure would be a mistake. One of those reasons is the high potency of the drug.
“It would be a mistake and it would be a mistake for a number of reasons. If you look at what’s happened in other states. First of all, this is not your marijuana of the 1960’s or 1970’s or 1980’s. This product has been developed and its potency is significantly higher than it was years ago. So we are dealing with a different marijuana. It’s not your grandfather’s marijuana or your grandmother’s marijuana this is different,” DeWine said.
DeWine also said that legalizing marijuana will change the state’s culture and reinforce to young kids that taking drugs is okay because it’s legalized.
“When you legalize it what you are really saying to young kids is that it’s okay. Even though they might not be able to use it until they are 18 or 21. But the message you are sending to a 13-year-old is, well look, it’s legal and that is reinforced every time that a 13-year-old is in the car with mom or dad and they go by a shop with a little green man. You’ve totally changed the culture,” DeWine said.
According to DeWine, the risks of legalizing marijuana in Ohio outweigh any potential rewards.
“What we have seen in other states is and the reasons that children’s hospitals have come out against this is the number of children who ingest marijuana, toddlers, little kids, and have to go to the emergency room. That number will go up dramatically. That seems to be a pretty heavy price. The number of people who are driving their cars and who are under the influence of marijuana will go up dramatically. Those are just not good outcomes. Those are just not good things that we need to see in the state of Ohio,” DeWine said.
DeWine is not the only Ohio leader to come out in opposition to this proposed initiative. A coalition of Ohio leaders across children’s health care, business, veterans, and law enforcement institutions has already formed in opposition to the proposed law. They say that the proposal is bad for Ohio’s families, workers, and economy.
As previously reported by The Ohio Star, Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) has also stated that he opposes the drug’s recreational use and instead focuses on improving Ohio’s medical marijuana program. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a 156-member GOP House Caucus, agreed that Congress should not legalize marijuana due to the dangers caused by the drug.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), marijuana is a mind-altering (psychoactive) drug produced by the Cannabis sativa plant.
A study released by The Recovery Center in October 2012 found that individuals treated for marijuana addiction had a higher mortality rate than those with diagnoses related to cocaine or alcohol but lower than those with methamphetamine or opioid-related disorders.
This is a proposed law, not a change to the state Constitution. State legislators can amend or abolish laws, including ones that voters enacted, but only a superseding amendment that the general public has adopted can change or repeal constitutional amendments.
The Ohio Ballot Board will consider and vote on the language for the recreational marijuana initiative on Thursday.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Mike Dewine” by Mike DeWine.
