Ohio votes down legalizing pot for medical, recreational use

WTHR ^ | 11-4-2015 | By The Associated PressWTHR

[tcrlaf]

Ohio voters have rejected a ballot measure seeking to legalize recreational and medical marijuana use in the state.

Failure of the proposed constitutional amendment follows an expensive campaign, a legal fight over its ballot wording and an investigation into the proposal's petition signatures.

[JediJones]

Some things should be policed. Drug use is in the same class as murder, rape and robbery. Traffic violations are an invalid comparison.

[steve86]

It wasn’t voted down on such a picayune issue. It was resoundingly rejected. People have seen the chaos and insanity resulting in the states like Colorado that have legalized and are coming back to their senses.

I think xzins is right. No sensible person wants to write crony capitalism into the state constitution. And I don't see the "chaos and insanity" here in WA State. There was one car accident or something.

[Kazan]

The title is misleading. They voted it down because the ballot language gave a monopoly on growing and marketing pot to 10 people/investment groups in the state. And it put that monopoly IN THE CONSTITUTION.

Incorrect. That was addressed in issue 2, which was approved by voters.

Issue 3 was solely about legalizing pot for medicinal and recreational purposes. And, voters, thankfully, overwhelmingly rejected it.

[Lisbon1940]

Words are signifiers. They only approximate the things described.

[Kazan]

Wrong. Issue two was about monopolies. Issue 3 was solely about pot legalization, which the voters overwhelmingly rejected.

Ohio is socially conservative state and majority have the sense not to legalize pot and all the damage that goes all with doing so.

[steve86]

Ohio remaining sober

Did they outlaw hard liquor? Now that would be a sensible electorate!

[Kazan]

Obviously, you don't live Ohio and didn't look or vote on the ballot. Monopolies were addressed in Issue 2 and pot legalization in Issue 3.

The potheads lost overwhelmingly. Ohio is a fairly sane state.

[Kazan]

I think xzins is right He was clueless and didn't even know what was on the ballot.

[jneesy]

people are absolutely losing their mind on facebook over this lol

[steve86]

The posted article itself contradicts what you are saying.

The measure known as Issue 3 on Tuesday's ballot would have allowed adults 21 and older to use, purchase or grow certain amounts of marijuana. The constitutional amendment would have established a regulatory and taxation scheme while creating a network of 10 growing facilities.

The 10 growing facilities was in the same Issue as the legalization question.

[fwdude]

I take it that you are a weed warrior. Am I right?

[tacticalogic]

Bad idea. It’s doubling down on stupid. No great fan of drugs personally, including pot, but I’ll happily see it legalized over increasing the size and scope of the police state.

It would help a lot if we could get the feds out of it. Their job is at the border, not within the States. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't want a federal agency that was a willing participant in Fast and Furious getting too cozy with my local LEO. Bad juju, that.

[steve86]

I promised FReepers in July 2014 I would go to a marijuana store, buy some and try it. I failed in my mission. Chickened out.

[JediJones]

Drugs come over the border. International criminals distribute drugs in our country and are within the purview of the feds as well as the states.

[JediJones]

Issue 2 was created solely to counteract that part of Issue 3. See below.

And if anyone thinks that this aspect of regulating the legalization would’ve stopped anybody who was in favor of legal pot from voting for it, you are absolutely a liar or a fool: “Commercial growth was to be controlled for at least the first four years by investment groups at 10 specified locations around the state.”

You seriously think there are scores of potheads who drew a moral stand against the idea of investment groups managing the growth for 4 years? Anyone who says that has absolutely no grasp on reality and is probably a libertarian.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2015/election/ohio-state-issues-2-and-3-marijuana.html

Issue 2, an anti-monopoly amendment, was hurriedly put together by the General Assembly earlier this year when lawmakers realized the legalization issue was likely to make the ballot. Issuke 2 measure requires supporters of monopolies, oligopolies and cartels to secure voter approval twice at the same election – one time to exempt the issue from the monopoly ban and a second time for the proposal itself.

[Reno89519]

Same here.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Issue 2 could not hide the palpable fact that it was monopolists who wanted it. That would repel libertarians.

[Politicalkiddo]

Thus saith the People.

[HiTech RedNeck]

There would be scores of libertarians, those who would be sympathetic to pot users although never using pot themselves. However they are not single-issue people.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Obama just let them all out.