Ohio declines Issue 3 while Mexico supports it

Nick Stines
Staff Writer

      On Nov. 3, Ohioans voted against legalizing recreational marijuana by nearly two-to-one. Issue 3 would have made marijuana legal to smoke and legal in edible form, and medicinal use would be legal for any age as long as that person meets the conditions. With heroin use among high school students in the suburbs rapidly growing, most Ohioans do not feel safe legalizing marijuana.
      Legalization would mean dispensaries would go up for the public to enter and purchase any strain or edible available. One must be twenty-one in order to legally use. Residents in Colorado can buy up to an ounce of marijuana, and out-of-staters can buy up to a quarter ounce. Washington is the only state that does not allow one to grow marijuana at home. Rules in Ohio could potentially be much different if it was legalized, but Ohioans look to work on the heroin problem before they opt to legalize any drug for recreational use.

      “At a time when too many families are being torn apart by drug abuse, Ohioans said no to easy access to drugs and instead chose a path that helps strengthen our families and communities,” said Governor John Kasich.
      Mexico is also looking to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This would give both the American and Mexican governments control over the drug cartel problems. The drug black market would minimize in both nations, and both nations’ governments would regulate marijuana from seed to full growth. Marijuana is already expensive with the government regulations, but to date, nearly $35 million has been spent on the “War on Drugs” between the state governments and the federal government. It comes out of citizens’ tax dollars to incarcerate nonviolent drug offenders and to hire the enforcement. During the alcohol prohibition days, the Italian and Irish mafias got huge in big cities such as Manhattan and Chicago. After ending prohibition, the crime rates went down drastically, and less people were incarcerated.
      ​Essentially, legalization is extremely important in America. There are many nonviolent drug offenders who serve long sentences in prison just for marijuana, a drug that has been proven to be less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol, yet those substances are still legal and widely used. Obama has been releasing nonviolent drug offenders nationwide and plans on lowering incarceration rates for drug-related crimes before his term ends.