COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twenty-three states along with the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. Recently, ResponsibleOhio, a group formed to end the prohibition of marijuana announced on Dec. 19, 2014 that it will pursue a ballot initiative in 2015 to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes.
“Marijuana for medical and personal use should be a choice made by licensed physicians and adults 21 and older in this state. We are going to end this failed prohibition,” said spokesperson for the campaign Lydia Bolander.
Bolander said marijuana should be legalized in order for the state of Ohio to regulate and tax it, similar to regulations regarding alcohol and gambling.
The Federal government currently recognizes marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines Schedule 1 drugs as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Ohio law currently limits the use, cultivation and possession of marijuana. If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds 100 grams but is less than 200 grams, possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, resulting in a possible 30 days in jail, and a possible fine up to $250. If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds 200 grams but is less than 1,000 grams, possession of marijuana is a felony of the fifth degree, and division B of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code applies in determining whether to impose a prison term on the offender.
Legislative Analyst Chris Lindsey for Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington D.C. said, “We believe the harm caused by the prohibition of a substance is far more harmful than anything the substance has ever done.” He added, “If Ohio wants to be in control, take a regulatory approach. [The prohibition] harms people’s futures, prospects for jobs, housing and education. Legalization and regulation is a much better approach.”
Local authorities and organizations disagree.
“It’s a starting point for drug abuse. It leads to abuse of others,” stated Leiutenant Joy Stortz with the Mansfield Police Department’s METRICH Enforcement Unit.
METRICH Enforcement Unit is a 10-county wide investigative group that aims at reducing illicit drug use. They serve in Richland, Crawford, Huron, Morrow, Knox, Seneca, Marion, Ashland, Hancock, and Wyandot counties.
METRICH officers seized 612 marijuana plants in the first three quarters of 2014. According to Director of Mansfield Police Forensic Science Laboratory Anthony Tambasco, the Crime Lab currently possesses over 1,000 pounds. The drug is kept in the Mansfield Police Department’s Crime Lab for a minimum of two years for legal purposes, after which it is incinerated.
Many advocates for the legalization of marijuana see the drug as a revenue generator, much like alcohol.
Colorado, the first state to fully legalize marijuana, generated $60,128,757 in 2014, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
A High Times article said that as of August, 2014, in the U.S., marijuana’s price index was $334 per ounce. Mansfield’s street value can get to about $190 per ounce, depending on the quality, according to Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz. A close neighbor to Richland County, Mount Vernon’s average price for the “cheese” strain of marijuana, a U.K. hybrid known for its cheese-like aroma, is $400 per ounce.
Despite marijuana’s alleged economic value if regulated, Executive Director of Community Action for Capable Youth (CACY) Tracee Anderson believes differently. CACY is a local non-profit organization devoted to “promoting a drug, alcohol and tobacco free way of life through prevention and education.”
“I think you’re going to lose more money in the treatment side of it. Because right now people go into treatment for marijuana issues. So if you increase the supply, it will undoubtedly increase the need for treatment,” said Anderson.
Anderson advocates for a drug-free environment. She said she has seen the effects drug use has on families and children, and she believes using narcotics cannot be isolated within family.
“It’s just impossible. Whatever one person does, it does affect the whole unit. I can’t imagine anywhere at anytime that it would ever be okay for a substance that’s known to have negative physical, emotional and social effects on kids to ever be allowable with them,” Anderson commented.
Chief Coontz would agree.
“There is a heroin epidemic and in the middle of that, people are trying to get marijuana legalized? I just don’t get it. So what you’re telling kids is that a marijuana high is okay, but not heroine or cocaine. Where do you draw the line, you know? You’re confusing kids,” stated Coontz.
“Society doesn’t need it. I hope Ohio can come together to draw the line in the sand and be willing to not cross it,” he added.
Do you think marijuana should be legalized for medicinal, recreational or all uses in Ohio? Join in on the conversation by filling out our reader’s poll found on our website.
