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Will Ohio Legalize? – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2023

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Will the State of Ohio legalize cannabis this November? Officials announced Wednesday that the legalization initiative will appear on the November 2023 ballot.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) submitted more than 220,000 signatures, short by 679. Officials gave them ten more days, and the activists found 6,500 more.

Ohio’s Secretary of State found that 4,405 of those signatures were valid. This means in November, residents can decide: will Ohio legalize cannabis?

Will Ohio Legalize?

“We are grateful to the thousands of Ohioans who helped us get to this point and are excited to bring our proposal to regulate marijuana like alcohol before Ohio voters this coming Election Day,” Tom Haren, a spokesperson for CTRMLA said.

The group’s 41-page proposal wants to see legal cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sales to people over 21. They also advocate for growing at home, with a limit of six per person and 12 per household.

Like other states, Ohio will likely create a new regulatory bureaucracy to hand out licenses and dole out fines and penalties if the ballot measure passes.

So will Ohio legalize cannabis? While statewide ballot initiatives legalizing cannabis have been popular in the US, it’s rare in Ohio. The last time a citizen-initiated statute passed was in 2006 when Ohioans voted to outlaw indoor smoking.

Since Ohio’s beginning, there have only been four citizen-initiated statutes passed. So will Ohio legalize? Even if a majority of residents vote in favor, the Ohio General Assembly could amend or even rescind the statute.

This isn’t the first time Ohioans have been asked about legalization. In 2015, 63.4% of voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have created a cannabis monopoly with only 10 (government-handpicked) growers for the entire state.

Ohioans voted against the cannabis bill and voted for an anti-monopoly amendment, which prevents something like that from happening again.

So what are the details this time? Will Ohio legalize cannabis if it doesn’t mean a government-protected cartel of 10 exclusive growers?

Ohio Legalization Details

Ohioans were right to reject the 2015 amendment. But what about the initiative for this November? The actual ballot measure may differ from CTRMLA’s wording. But we can still get a general idea of what to expect.

Age restriction: 21 and older
Legal possession of up to 2.5 ounces of flower
15 grams of concentrates
Individuals can grow up to six plants for personal use.
A maximum of 12 plants per household
10 percent sales tax on cannabis
A new bureaucracy: a “Division of Cannabis Control” established under the state Department of Commerce
The new bureaucracy will have the authority to “license, regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed.”
Medical cannabis businesses can easily switch over to recreational markets.
The new cannabis bureaucracy will issue licences in “preference to applications who are participants under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.”
Individual municipalities can opt-out from having cannabis companies in their jurisdiction (but cannot ban medical cannabis firms)
Employers are still able to keep their anti-cannabis policies.
Regulators would be required to provide “cannabis addiction services,” which involves broadcasting propaganda about cannabis and burdening individuals with the “addiction and recovery” mentality that their brain is broken or “diseased.”
“Study and fund” criminal justice reform that includes cannabis expungements

Will Ohio Legalize? Pros and Cons

Will Ohio legalize cannabis? While not perfect, the November initiative is far better than the monopoly amendment from 2015.

Still, the November ballot leaves much to be desired.

As we’ve covered before, markets are self-regulating. We have a centuries-old Anglo-American legal tradition to draw from if or when “market failure” occurs.

A legal cannabis industry (or any industry, for that matter) doesn’t need government bureaucracies handing out licenses and issuing rules based on their perspectives of “best practice.”

A government that bans your right to grow a medicinal plant unless you have the correct “papers” is oppressive. It may be petty tyranny compared to other areas of the world, and certainly when compared to our history, but it’s tyrannical nevertheless.

But the cons of Ohio’s November ballot go beyond mere licensing and regulation. Will Ohio legalize cannabis this November? If not, it may be because, like in 2015, Ohioans are unhappy with the details.

CTRMLA’s November Ballot

Critics have pointed out that the CTRMLA’s initiative text lacks concrete information on cannabis expungements. Instead of specific language indicating clear expungements for those with cannabis on their records, they dance around the issue by suggesting criminal justice reform.

As well, employers can maintain their anti-cannabis policies. While we’re all for private businesses doing what they want, if cannabis is legal in your state, it’s annoying to be subject to drug tests for things you do outside of work in your free time.

While prioritizing certain applicants based on gender or race (as opposed to merit) is becoming increasingly common (and accepted) in America, the CTRMLA’s initiative doesn’t address the issue this way.

Instead, they want the new bureaucracy to prioritize applicants based on “social equity,” but only through the jobs program. In other words: you may have to go through Maoist struggle sessions before getting your commercial cannabis licence.

Their demand that regulators “enter into agreement” with addiction programs may be to win over the more conservative-thinking Ohioans.

But ultimately, framing habitual behavior as “disorders,” or as the consequences of exterior forces, undermine the individual’s ability to evaluate their substance use rationally.

Of course, the organization’s name, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, tells us everything we need to know.

Ohio should not regulate cannabis like alcohol. Alcohol is a poison. Too much of it, and you die. Too much over a long period, and you die from cessation.

Cannabis is a medicinal herb. There is no lethal overdose. It needs as much regulation as your locally-grown tomato.

But, if your options are complete prohibition or a lesser version of it envisioned by CTRMLA, then the latter is often (but not always) the better option.

So will Ohio legalize cannabis? We’ll find out this November.

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The Best Cocktails To Make You Feel Festive

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

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Lean into the joy of the holiday season with this merry cocktails – delight your taste buds and favorite people!

According to TikTok, it s the most wonderful, stressful, fun, boozy time of year. So why not lean into the season and make merry with something fun. Here are the best cocktails to make you feel festive, no matter what the situation. Plus, these are drinks you can make quickly with minimum effort and maximum fun. Pour one of these concoctions and have a moment of peace or share them with the one you like, love or tolerate at work. Sip, savor and bring a little ho ho ho into the moment.

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

Christmas Old Fashioned

Here is a way to settle into a cozy beverage which will warm your body and soul. Bourbon has been part of the holidays for generations…and you can make this a new tradition.

Ingredients

2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz simple syrup
2 dashes bitters
2 dashes orange juice
Garnish: cinnamon stick and orange peel

Create

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice
Stir for 20 seconds
Strain into a rocks glass with ice
Garnish with orange peel and a cinnamon stick

Easy, Tasty Egg Nog

You either you love it or hate it, but Egg Nog is a holiday staple. This recipe makes it lighter, tasty and a wee dangerous since it is so good. It bring a whole new take on a staid drink.

Ingredients

2 oz store bought egg nog
1 oz milk (2% is the best)
small splash vanilla
1 oz Licor 43

Create

Combine egg nog, milk and vanilla
Stir until well mixed
Add Licor 43 and stir again
Pour into a fun glass and enjoy

White Bishop

The Bishop’s Wife is a great holiday movie filled with the Christmas spirit and some never ending booze. This drink is an embraces the fun, warmth, snow, and spirit of the evening. Perfect as a dessert drink, a morning treat or just to lift your holiday mood.

2 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz heavy cream
1 oz Frangelico or Licor 43
Small splash of vanilla

Create

Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice
Shake for 20 seconds
Strain into a martini glass

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Poinsettia Champagne Cocktail

Nothing says celebration like bubbles. Whether you use champagne or prosecco, this is bound to bring a smile to your face. And the poinsettia is Christmas tradition since

Ingredients

1/2 oz orange liqueur
3 oz cranberry juice
3 oz of champagne or prosecco
Garnish with fresh cranberries

Create

Pour orange liqueur and cranberry juice into a chilled champagne flute
Stir well
Top with champagne
Garnish with a few fresh cranberries

Have a great holiday season!

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Ready For Green And Blackout Wednesday

Published

4 weeks ago

November 26, 2024

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The day before Thanksgiving has the honor of being two of the biggest consumption days of the year – are you ready?

While some people are prepping for Thanksgiving Thursday, the big feast and the holiday season afterwards, a significant amount are looking forward to Wednesday. The day before Thanksgiving has become a mini-holiday in its own right. It has become a time of robust celebration, so much it is known as Green Wednesday and Blackout Wednesday. It is a significant consumption day for both marijuana and alcohol imbibers.

Blackout Wednesday, also known as Drinksgiving, has grown to rival major drinking holidays like New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day in terms of alcohol consumption. And cannabis is not far behind seeing a big spike in dispensary purchases on the same day. As legal cannabis moved across the nation, it caught on and gave options to people who want to “unplug” at the start of the holiday weekend.

green smoke on dim light

Green Wednesday is a cannabis-centric moment the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In in 2016, the phrase was coined when California cannabis delivery service noticed a significant uptick in orders the week before Thanksgiving. With over 50% of the country having access to legal weed, each year has only gotten bigger!

“Last year’s Green Wednesday had sales 72% higher than the average day. Flower accounted for 39.5% of sales with Vape at 23.7%, pre-rolled at 16.9% and edibles at 10.6%. Pre-rolled showed the biggest increase compared to the week before when it accounted for only 11.9%, so sales on Green Wednesday of pre-rolls specifically, were more than double a normal day.” shares Roy Bingham, Co-Founder and CEO of BDSA, one of the cannabis analytics firms.

The original partakers start Blackout Wednesday, also known as Drinksgiving or Thanksgiving Eve. They helped make it become a significant cultural phenomenon. This unofficial holiday takes place on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and has gained notoriety as one of the busiest drinking nights of the year. The exact origins of Blackout Wednesday are not precisely documented, but the phenomenon is believed to have started decades before it was named. The term “Drinksgiving” dates back to 2007, while the first Google searches for “Blackout Wednesday” were recorded in 2014.

If you choose to celebrate, be safe, have fun, and have the ingredients for a hangover cure come the morning.

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Science Says Cannabis Can Be Making Us Healthier

Published

1 month ago

November 8, 2024

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As it it becomes available to more people, there is a positive health change going on according to data.

Cannabis is becoming more mainstream and and the side effects are doing even better than expected. It seems the availability of legal marijuana is helping with the health of the general population. Studies in California, Canada and the now New Zealand have shown the upside of legalization. While cannabis has been used for health benefits for millions of years, reduction in more harmful intoxication products is another important wellness trend.

Alcohol consumption is associated with significant health risks, including liver damage, cardiovascular issues, and certain cancers. In contrast, marijuana has not been linked to the same level of severe physical health consequences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that over 36,000 annual U.S. deaths are attributed to chronic alcohol use, while there is no comparable category for marijuana-related deaths. Alcohol is also much more addictive than marijuana, causing long term physical and mental issues.

A study from New Zealand has found some interesting trends regarding the relationship between marijuana legalization and the consumption of alcohol and opioids.

heart cannabis — Photo by megaflopp/Getty Images

Following the legalization of marijuana in New Zealand, researchers observed a notable decline in alcohol consumption:

There was a 6-9% decrease in the frequency of binge drinking among adults aged 21 and older.
The study found no significant impact on underage drinking rates among those aged 12-20.

This suggests for adults, marijuana may be serving as a substitute for alcohol in some cases, particularly when it comes to heavy drinking episodes.

The relationship between marijuana legalization and opioid use appears more complex:

There was no clear evidence of marijuana legalization directly reducing opioid use or abuse.
However, some research indicates that people who use cannabis are more likely to initiate opioid use, with an odds ratio of 2.76 compared to non-cannabis users.
The likelihood of transitioning from opioid use to opioid use disorders among cannabis users was found to be 2.52 times higher than non-cannabis users.

The study also revealed some additional findings regarding substance use patterns:

Marijuana use increased by 16% among adults aged 21 and older following legalization.
There was a 5-6% increase in marijuana use initiation among adolescents and young adults aged 12-20. This would be go with the greater North American trend of California sober and Gen Z drifting away from alcohol and more into marijuana.
No significant changes were observed in the use of hard drugs like cocaine or heroin in any age group.

These findings suggest while marijuana legalization may lead to decreased alcohol consumption among adults, it does not necessarily translate to reduced use of other substances, particularly opioids. The relationship between cannabis use and other substance use behaviors is complex and multifaceted. Time and more research should yield more benefits.

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