Ohio, Get Ready to Vote YES ON 3
Ohio could be the next American state to legalize recreational cannabis. Investors and activists in The Buckeye state got ResponsibleOhio on the ballot to be voted on this November. Around 200 activists collected 305,591 signatures needed to put the proposed amendment on the ballot, their website states.
Colorado got the recreational cannabis ball rolling. Now other states are following suit. Colorado police report they have seen a decline in DUI’s, violent crime, domestic abuse, youth drug use and hard drug use. And they are collecting $60+ million a year in taxes in the process. Supporters of Issue 3 see Ohio as the next state in line to cash in on the quickly budding marijuana industry.
According to an April Quinnipiac University poll, around 84% of Ohio voters support medicinal marijuana and 52 percent support legalizing recreational cannabis.
“Ohio wastes over $100 million a year on destructive marijuana laws that don’t work” says retired police captain Howard Rahtz, a prominent Issue 3 supporter.
Over 1,100 cannabis business licenses will be available for retail, dispensary and manufacturing, potentially open to the public. ResponsibleOhio’s plan allows allows Ohioans over 21 to grow up to four plants at home. home grow. The home grow license will cost $50.
Just like in Colorado, consumption of cannabis will still be illegal in public. Driving under the influence will also be an illegal offense punishable by Ohio law.
Some activists take issue with the potential monopoly on growing legal cannabis that Issue 3 could present to Ohioans. ResponsibleOhio only allows for ten private wholesale grow facilities to legally be established, licensed to grow and cultivate marijuana and extract cannabinoids. A private group of investors with a stronghold on who can legally grow could have serious effects on the potential cannabis free market in Ohio.
However, Yes on 3 Ohio does say that the ten initial commercial growing sites will be:
“operated by separate companies and have to compete with each other on price and quality, which is the exact opposite of a monopoly. If one of the 10 do not meet demand, the state can revoke licenses and replace them with better license holders.”
A restriction on the number of commercial grows the government allows isn’t exactly a free market, though. Either way, this progress looks like a great win for supporters of cannabis and personal liberty. If you live in Ohio or have friends there, be sure to vote YES ON 3 this November. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
Register to vote by October 5th. For more information or to make sure you’re registered to vote, visit: http://yeson3ohio.com/.
