Recreational marijuana is occupational irresponsibility and should be defeated on the November ballot to defend Ohio’s ability to attract the best possible job prospects for future prosperity.
State Issue 2 is a citizen-initiated statute that would expand Ohio’s medical marijuana program to recreational use status and allow the home growing and smoking of cannabis
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association lead the opposition to legalization of recreational marijuana use citing increased insurance costs, decreased worker safety, and plunging work force participation from smoking pot.
All is not lost if current polls showing strong support for recreational use portend a voter-approved change in the law.
Issue 2 gives employers the power to test employees for marijuana use and make the issue a firing offense, whether it occurred on or off the job.
Backers of Issue 2 say it’s like casino gambling, once an Ohio prohibited activity, legalized when the loss of revenue to border states where the law allowed what Ohio did not, caused our law to change so as to stem the outflow of dollars.
Ohio State University researchers estimate recreational marijuana could add between $250 million and $400 million to the state budget, the same range as the estimates for legalized sports betting.
The addition of recreational marijuana makes the medical marijuana licenses in Ohio significantly more valuable as the existing license holders get first shot at the new enterprises.
This is reason enough to defeat Issue 2. The Kasich administration steered the medical marijuana licenses to trusted political connections in a flawed process that was challenged but not overturned.
By far the weakest aspect of Ohio’s economic development agenda is a culture of corruption ignored by state leaders despite historic federal conspiracy convictions over the forced $1.3 billion bailout of FirstEnergy by Ohio utility ratepayers.
The quest to turn political power into economic reward through Ohio state government is not a recent development and would only be perpetuated by the passage of State Issue 2.
Recreational marijuana will make Ohio less attractive to industry, make our jobs and highways more dangerous, and perpetuate contracting rules enabling state government to enrich the political elite.
Ohio will reap pennies compared to the windfall passage of Issue 2 will provide to “potpreneurs” when they sell their businesses to the liquor barons awaiting the opportunity to add marijuana to their portfolio.
State Issue 2 is a bad law and should be defeated.
First Published October 12, 2023, 4:00 a.m.