Legalization of pot may be on November ballot

Ohioans soon may be asked to vote whether marijuana should be legalized for medical and/or personal use throughout the state.

The Ohio Ballot Board last week certified ResponsibleOhio's ballot initiative - a step in the process to place the proposed constitutional amendment before voters this fall.

The group next must collect 305,591 valid signatures by July 1 to place the issue before voters at the General Election, said Joshua Eck, press secretary for the Ohio Secretary of State's office.

The amendment, if approved, would legalize pot for medical use and allow limited amounts for personal use by adults age 21 and older. The proposal grants restricted home-growing rights and identifies 10 pre-determined commercial growing sites in Ohio.

Ohio Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina, said legalizing marijuana is a "wacky idea."

"We've got a major heroin problem in Ohio and until we figure out how to fix that I'm not in favor of legalizing any drug," he said.

Faber also noted that choosing specific commercial growers eliminates the free market system.

"Ohioans should be weary of people" who want to give a monopoly to specific growers, he said.

Faber said he's also opposed to ResponsibleOhio's intent to amend the state's tax code for the sale of the drug. The group seeks a 15 percent tax on marijuana when grown and manufactured, and a 5 percent retail tax to curb black market sales, the proposal states.

ResponsibleOhio claims the state's marijuana industry would generate $554 million in annual tax revenue by 2020. The majority of the revenue would benefit local public services, the group has stated.

Estimated annual revenues for Mercer and Auglaize counties for the legal sale of marijuana would be nearly $1.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively, the organization calculated.

Ohio Rep. Jim Buchy, R-Greenville, shares Faber's opinion.

"I have always had a strong stance against drugs. That position has not wavered," he said. "Drugs pose true dangers to the fabric of society. These discussions of putting the legalization of marijuana before the voters are just a bunch smoke and mirrors. Drugs hurt families and I will oppose any such proposals."

The only marijuana legislation currently pending in Ohio is House Bill 33, which would allow Ohio doctors to prescribe an oil infused with a marijuana strain and another chemical compound. The mixture reportedly reduces the frequency of intense seizures in children.

Celina resident Rick Krogman said it's time Ohio reaps the profits from the sale of marijuana.

"I am a believer in making it legalized due to the tax revenue it will create for our state," the 55-year-old said.

He's not concerned about the possible negative impact the drug may have on the younger generation, he said.

"I'd rather see them smoke (pot) than do this heroin that's around," Krogman said.

While some illegal drug trends seem to be decreasing in Ohio, marijuana use continues to be a problem for youth, according to a recent report from the Ohio Department of Health. Its use has remained steady across the state for the past 20 years, the study concluded.

Health officials say marijuana use is associated with numerous mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, psychosis and suicide, along with health problems such as cancer, decreased cognitive functioning and poor academic performance.

Glenn Keeling of Rockford, president of the West Central Ohio chapter of the nonprofit National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the dire consequences preached about smoking pot are inaccurate.

"They (government) need to educate people on the true aspects of the plant," he said. "It's time the government stops lying."

Keeling, who supports the proposed amendment, said marijuana is not a gateway drug, as some say, and its use shouldn't be compared with heroin, a drug "that's destroying our communities."

Keeling pointed out that Colorado - one of four states including Washington, Oregon and Alaska that have legalized marijuana for recreational use - experienced an 11 percent drop in teen drug use after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2012.

Making pot legal in Ohio would reduce the abuse and promote better regulation, he said.

"It cuts out the black market," he explained.

Keeling said the local NORML chapter will help gather signatures. The group meets the third Saturday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Frankie Jo's, 157 N. Main St., Rockford. The next meeting is April 11.

Keeling thinks marijuana should at least be available for terminally ill people. His mother suffered for four years before dying of cancer, he said.

"If it had been legal, my mother would have had a better quality of life," he said.

Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey, who objects to marijuana legalization, said pain medicine is available for people who are suffering. He worries about a section of the proposed amendment that gives eligible residents who use the drug for therapeutic use "the right to produce their own cannabis."

"There is no limit, no controls, this will just allow you to grow your own," he said.

He also is concerned that homegrown pot will have differing degrees of strength, unlike pharmaceutical drugs.

If the amendment passes "law enforcement will have their hands tied," Grey said.

"It puts the controls on the marijuana on a commission, not our elected representatives. Elected representatives can be held responsible through the election process, a commission cannot," he said.