In an interview this week, DeWine said legalizing marijuana for adults would be a mistake. The governor told the Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau that today’s marijuana is more potent than in the past, and could pose a health risk for young people.
However, Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, disagreed.
“For years, we heard about the ‘gateway theory’ — that consuming marijuana means you, all of a sudden, want to consume harder drugs,” he said. “That’s been thoroughly debunked by experts. The real gateway is prohibition. Prohibition forces people into an illicit market where there’s a far, far higher chance of them being exposed to harder drugs.”
Schweich said regulating marijuana allows states to establish potency limits and ensure products are packaged consistently and sold appropriately. On Jan. 1, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana for people age 21 and older.
Ohio is among the nearly two dozen states that have approved the use of medical marijuana. That program launched in January 2019 with just a few dispensaries, and grew to 46 by year’s end, with more than $56 million worth of products sold. Schweich said it isn’t a far reach to say recreational sales could be an economic driver.
“Has legalization greatly benefited state economies? We can’t say that for certain, because economies are complex,” he said. “But by all accounts, these legalization laws are creating businesses, creating jobs, generating tax revenues, and I think that’s part of the reason voters like these policies.”
In states that have legalized marijuana, Schweich said, so far there have been no bills or ballot initiatives to repeal it.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “Voters in these states approved these policies, support them, continue to support them. If our opponents were right about this issue, I think we’d see more activity on the repeal front — but instead, we see absolutely none.”
While one reform doesn’t always lead to another, Schweich said legalizing medical marijuana has helped normalize the issue of marijuana policy reform, In a November 2018 poll from the Pew Research Center, 32 percent of U.S. adults said they oppose marijuana legalization, compared with 52 percent in 2010.
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This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2020.
Hey Scene, I work for a medical dispensary and am trying to fight the “stoner stigma” every day, often to attempt to gain some respect from clueless people like Mike DeWine. It’d be nice to replace the photo with something a bit more generic?
Do people still roll up a reefer anymore? Haven’t smoked a joint in years. Pipes are a lot less wasteful and easier to carry and use.
I’ve no problem with untaxed weed.
This seems similar to the same argument before the Casinos came to Ohio. So what did Ohioans do? They spent their money in other states, where it was legal to gamble.
Get out of the dark ages, and take our money, please?!?!?!
Gambling, weed, Ahia (AKA North Missitucky) is always lagging behind everybody else in surrounding states. Ohioans wanted to gamble, and they want to smoke dope. So they crossed the borders to out-of-state casinos, and they’ll go over the line for their tokes, too.
Meanwhile, the benighted Columbus Bible-thumpers keep us from sinning in front of the slots, and millions in tax revenue goes up in smoke. Ohioans love to get drunk and stupid, too…this is one of the drinkingest states in America. Our elected asshats don’t seem to have any problems with the results of overindulgence in booze. Hypocrites, every damn one of them.
I totally disagree.I suffer from severe fibromyalgia (insomnia, pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, migraines,fibro fog, obstruction, chronic diverticulosis) along with all the side effects from the 30 medications I take daily to control these symptoms. When I could, if legal, smoke Cannabis and do away with the medications. It would be so much cheaper. My medications without insurance would be @ 1500.00 a month. Is Ohio going to be the only state in the United States to not legalize Cannabis? The country is even trying to legalize it. I voted for you once maybe I was wrong.
Alcohol is a gateway drug…lol
“but don’t expect that to happen here on Gov. Mike DeWine’s watch.”
Why not…can he veto a ballot initiative constitutional amendment? Because, there’s one in the works, with details to be revealed later this week.