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MANSFIELD — Marijuana legalization will not be on the ballot for this November’s general election in Ohio. The “Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” (CRMLA) instead said it will delay its legalization campaign until 2023. The announcement comes weeks after clergy from one hundred and ten congregations stated their opposition to legalizing the Schedule 1 narcotic. One of the clergy spokesmen is delighted the activist group’s plans went ‘up in smoke.’
“We are pleased cannabis legalization efforts have been defeated for another year,” says Pastor Chad Hayes. “With a united front of faith and civic leaders remaining steadfast to the facts on this harmful substance, sanity still prevails.”
Hayes and a group of local clergymen from multiple denominations held a press conference reading from an open letter dated April 20th to area mayors and local chambers of commerce in nine counties. They announced a new campaign promoting local community standards in a grassroots effort to stop the legalization of marijuana.
The clergy said in their letter, ‘Local houses of worship are encouraging our economic and civic leaders to “Believe Local” to preserve a vibrant future for our region by adhering to our local community standards. This can be done by safeguarding our communities from the harmful effects of marijuana and the softening of drug enforcement laws like syringe exchange programs and DORA zones. In the words of our state motto, “With GOD all things are possible.”
In addition to the clergy, top state officials including Governor Mike DeWine have publicly stated they are opposed to the legalization of recreational cannabis in Ohio.
“We are pleased cannabis legalization efforts have been defeated for another year. With a united front of faith and civic leaders remaining steadfast to the facts on this harmful substance, sanity still prevails.”
Pastor Chad Hayes
Because of the opposition to the recreational cannabis proposal, CRMLA sued state officials after Ohio House Republicans refused to take up the marijuana legalization law. The proposal was under a state mechanism called an initiated statute, through which members of the public can propose new laws.
Under the initiated statute, the public can force lawmakers to take up a proposed law change if they can gather the needed number of signatures, currently 132,887, from registered voters in at least forty-four counties across the state. If lawmakers do not enact the law as written within four months, backers of an initiated statute then can collect the same number of signatures again to force it onto the ballot for the following November’s election.
The proposed measure would have allowed Ohioans age 21 and older to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and grow plants at home and be taxed at 10%. Additional tax revenue has not always turned out beneficial.
Colorado was one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012. At the time, cannabis proponents claimed legalizing the drug could generate tax revenue. Findings by the Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute in 2018 reveal for every dollar gained in tax revenue from cannabis, Coloradans spent roughly $4.50 to mitigate the adverse effects of legalization. In addition, calls to poison control along with high school dropouts increased dramatically.
In a local presentation In 2018 by a member of the Colorado Governor’s Task Force, when the state legalized marijuana, emergency room visits saw an eight hundred percent increase. Traffic deaths with drivers testing positive for “marijuana-only” increased by 75%. Tent cities also surfaced in Colorado since unemployed people are unable to pass their drug tests and obtain jobs.
The clergy hope Ohioans learn about the failures of recreational marijuana in other states. The clergy emphatically stated, “We support vibrant communities and encourage policymakers to “Believe Local. We believe the legalization of recreational marijuana and the relaxation of drug enforcement laws disrupt health and safety and are morally wrong.”
View the video of the April 20, 2022 clergy press conference below.
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The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Proverbs 14, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
