You don’t think Buddie is going anywhere even though Ohio voters shot down the legalization of marijuana last week do you?
The resounding “no vote” isn’t necessarily the damnation of marijuana legalization in Ohio even though young Republicans and Democrats were among those formally united to opposed the passage of Issue 3.
In separately written opinion pieces to The Lantern, student representatives from both parties cut to the chase and explained their concerns surrounding Issue 3 and why they oppose the measure.
For the Democrats, the most important reason for shooting down Issue 3 was the fact that previous minor marijuana convictions would not be expunged, under “Fresh Start” language.
 Some of that sticky icky icky |
“In other words, Issue 3 makes it legal for a select elite to have monopoly control of the market, charging us more for marijuana than in states like Colorado or Oregon, while doing nothing for the tens of thousands of Ohioans affected by marijuana-related fines and convictions,” noted Michael Lakomy President, College Democrats at The Ohio State University.
The Executive Director of the Ohio State College Republicans clarified that his party was not necessarily against marijuana usage, be it for recreational or medical usage.
However, Republican Sam Riddell also trashed Issue 3, saying another core issue is that it was meant to form a legal cartel that would control the market in the state. The passage would undermine innovation and entrepreneurship in Ohio according to Riddell, who’s a third-year student in Political Science.
“It is meant to help a small group of self-interested businessmen get rich quick,” Ridell said. “What this proposal really does is establish a constitutional monopoly on growing marijuana and dictates who can and cannot enter the market.”
Both favor marijuana legalization in varying degrees, but their parties formed a unanimous opinion when it came to voting on Issue 3.
But after major legal and societal issues like these are sorted out, many experts believe legalized marijuana will see its day in Ohio. Even the state’s Attorney General is down with it, for at least medicinal purposes anyway.
“I think medical marijuana is coming. Most Ohioans, when they look at this issue, you know, have great sympathy for people who might be helped by medical marijuana,” Attorney General Mike DeWine said.
