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champinhom
Lord Justhappensness


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 987
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Ohio rejects marijuana
#22473692 - 11/03/15 10:07 PM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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Ohio voters soundly rejected a marijuana initiative Tuesday that would have legalized recreational and medicinal use of the drug, and would have limited commercial growing to a small group of investors who drafted and promoted the measure.
The initiative was failing 65% to 35%, with more than three-quarters of precincts reporting.
“Issue 3 has been soundly defeated!” Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies crowed on Twitter. “No marijuana monopolies in this state!”
Four other states and the District of Columbia have already legalized the recreational sale of marijuana, which is still a federal crime. Ohio would have been the first state in the Midwest to do so.
But along with opposition from anti-drug groups and state elected officials, Ohio’s unorthodox initiative drew discomfort from some legalization supporters.
“This year's initiative failed because a greed-driven monopoly plan is wrong for the state of Ohio,” one competing pro-legalization group, Legalize Ohio 2016, said in a statement. “Some activists were let down tonight because they put their faith in a bad plan, but their efforts have brought us a step closer to legalizing marijuana in 2016.”
Related story: Why Ohio's pot legalization vote is being watched so closely Related story: Why Ohio's pot legalization vote is being watched so closely Opponents alleged that Issue 3 would have effectively set up a monopoly by limiting commercial marijuana growth to 10 preselected plots of land owned by the entrepreneurs behind the measure.
A group of 24 investors backing the measure included former NBA star Oscar Robertson, descendants of President William Howard Taft and former boy-band celebrity Nick Lachey.
The “ResponsibleOhio” legalization campaign was driven by political consultant Ian James, who acknowledged he would profit from the measure.
“The honest and most easy response is: I am going to profit from this,” James told the Center for Public Integrity in June. “If people are upset about me making money, I don’t know what to say other than that that’s part of the American process. To win and make this kind of change for social justice, it does cost a lot of money.”
Sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter Sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter In a televised concession speech Tuesday night, James called the loss “a bump in the road” and accused state legislators of “refus[ing] to deal with the voters.”
State legislators seeking to derail Issue 3 had presented voters with an “anti-monopoly” initiative, Issue 2, designed to nullify the marijuana initiative and ban special-interest groups from creating constitutional amendments for financial gain.
Both measures appeared on the ballot Tuesday, presenting a potential legal conundrum if both were to pass.
Generally, under Ohio law, whichever ballot measure receives more votes prevails.
But Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who opposed the legalization effort, said that if both measures had passed, the legislators’ anti-monopoly initiative would have prevailed because it would go into effect immediately, while the voter-initiated marijuana measure would take 30 days.
In that case, experts expected the marijuana-initiative supporters to take the matter to court.
The vote for the anti-monopoly initiative was much closer. It was leading, 52% to 48%, with 76% of precincts reporting.
The defeat of the marijuana measure was the first such loss for a recreational legalization initiative since 2012, and the first loss for marijuana advocates more generally since Florida rejected medical marijuana last year, according to John Hudak, a fellow with the Brookings Institute.
“The forces of defeat had more to do with timing, referendum language, demographics, and other ballot initiatives than it did with public opinion on the issue,” Hudak wrote in an instant analysis of the measure’s defeat.
Hudak added that ResponsibleOhio was “never able to consolidate the marijuana reform community inside or outside Ohio, and the ballot measure’s fate was dramatically affected by it.”
In a statement after the vote, Tom Angell of the pro-legalization group the Marijuana Majority called Issue 3 a “flawed measure” that “didn’t represent what voters wanted."
“Tonight’s results — and the choices that inevitably led up to them — are especially sad for Ohioans who use marijuana and will continue to be treated like criminals for no good reason,” Angell wrote.
On Twitter, Angell also scolded the measure’s backers using the hashtag #HowNotToLegalizeMarijuana. In another tweet, he said, “You idiots.”
Issue 3 also aimed to establish a marijuana control commission to regulate growth, distribution and sales in the state.
The measure would have imposed a 15% tax on gross revenues of growing operations and a 5% tax on gross revenues of retail marijuana stores, plus annual licensing fees.
Fifty-five percent of the taxes would have been distributed to cities and townships and 30% to counties for infrastructure and public safety purposes. The remaining 15% would have gone to the marijuana commission.
-------------------- My father used to say: I don't care what else you do in life, just don't be an asshole. People, forgive me when I forget what my daddy said. Cut back the proliferating list of people whose opinions can hurt you. Unless they have done or want to do you some good, their views are just not worth tracking. Saul Bellow “People are just cannibals unless they leave each other alone.” Doris Lessing Those whom the gods would save, they dower with compassion. Mr. P. Silocybin
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afrogus
hombre



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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: champinhom] 3
#22473824 - 11/03/15 10:35 PM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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It was good that this got defeated. The way the law was written was the definition of crony capitalism. The only people who would be able to produce the marijuana for consumers were the ten lawyers who created the law in the first place. Ganj will eventually be legalized in Ohio, just not this way. Good job Ohio!
-------------------- "Leave no turn unstoned":)
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champinhom
Lord Justhappensness


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 987
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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: afrogus] 2
#22473976 - 11/03/15 11:20 PM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yes, a bad bill. Crippled from the get-go. Why present the marijuana issue to the voters in such fashion? Probably a strong anti-cannabis lobby that wouldn't have let the question even be docketed unless in a form so repugnant that even stoners would gag.
-------------------- My father used to say: I don't care what else you do in life, just don't be an asshole. People, forgive me when I forget what my daddy said. Cut back the proliferating list of people whose opinions can hurt you. Unless they have done or want to do you some good, their views are just not worth tracking. Saul Bellow “People are just cannibals unless they leave each other alone.” Doris Lessing Those whom the gods would save, they dower with compassion. Mr. P. Silocybin
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FreeTheSoul
The wonderer.
Registered: 01/04/14
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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: champinhom]
#22474885 - 11/04/15 07:59 AM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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The failure of issue 3 was to be expected.
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searching



Registered: 06/08/11
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At first I was upset but it's probably better this way. Now other states should take notice that people aren't going to accept a bill like that. We demand a reasonable legalization with an open market for anyone to try to start a business in.
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champinhom
Lord Justhappensness


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 987
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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: searching]
#22477759 - 11/04/15 06:37 PM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
searching said: At first I was upset but it's probably better this way. Now other states should take notice that people aren't going to accept a bill like that. We demand a reasonable legalization with an open market for anyone to try to start a business in.
Yes. As it was, Ohio was aksed, basically, to vote for a monopoly,i.e., for an illegal (according to the Taft-Hartly Act) corporate procedure.
The whole thing was a setup. A farce. A booby trap with a sign pasted on it that said: "THIS IS A BOOBY TRAP".
-------------------- My father used to say: I don't care what else you do in life, just don't be an asshole. People, forgive me when I forget what my daddy said. Cut back the proliferating list of people whose opinions can hurt you. Unless they have done or want to do you some good, their views are just not worth tracking. Saul Bellow “People are just cannibals unless they leave each other alone.” Doris Lessing Those whom the gods would save, they dower with compassion. Mr. P. Silocybin
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ShiVersblood
VAmPiRES HELLA ❤



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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: champinhom]
#22478481 - 11/04/15 09:38 PM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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It got rejected because even the Weed smokers were voting against it which I just CANNOT understand.
It reminds me of when it got rejected in California. Weed smokers voted against it in California because they thought it being legal would cut into their black market sales.
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
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Quote:
Stealth1Vampire said: It got rejected because even the Weed smokers were voting against it which I just CANNOT understand.
It reminds me of when it got rejected in California. Weed smokers voted against it in California because they thought it being legal would cut into their black market sales.
Nah that's not it at all. It would have spiked black market sales, and made possession a grey area. "Whre'd you get that" if it wasn't in the proper container would cause a whole new issue...you were allowed to only have up to 8 ounces of personal....so when there was different weed around it would give....whoever......the authority to come inspect growers to make sure they werent stepping on the commercial grows toes.......
I would have liked to see it pass as I don't grow, and I never have a half lb laying around.....but I also don't want to register for 4 plants, and have to buy the same weed day in and out from the same places.
The way it was set up so no one could be a care giver was fucking dumb. It didn't even get on the ballot the last few years because it sucks......they pretty much forced it through.....not even money could pass that shit show.
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CidneyIndole
www.shroomery.OG



Registered: 05/16/05
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Loc: Love's Secret Domain
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Re: Ohio rejects marijuana [Re: vandago]
#22479130 - 11/05/15 12:32 AM (8 years, 2 months ago) |
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That's a pretty shitty title. Inaccurate, that is. It should read:
Quote:
Ohio Rejects Marijuana Monopoly
One more word, and suddenly it's an accurate representation of what actually happened. They didn't reject marijuana, they rejected a monopoly on marijuana. That's not even almost the same thing. And that's excessively lame. I can barely believe they tried to pull that crap.
Also, can we get a link, OP? Thought it was customary to provide them, and I'm not seeing one, unless I just missed it...
-------------------- ------------------------ I am me. We are You.
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
Loc: .
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Quote:
CidneyIndole said: That's a pretty shitty title. Inaccurate, that is. It should read:
Quote:
Ohio Rejects Marijuana Monopoly
One more word, and suddenly it's an accurate representation of what actually happened. They didn't reject marijuana, they rejected a monopoly on marijuana. That's not even almost the same thing. And that's excessively lame. I can barely believe they tried to pull that crap.
Also, can we get a link, OP? Thought it was customary to provide them, and I'm not seeing one, unless I just missed it...
Been 3 years of this same initiative trying to force its way on to the ballot, despite there being ongoing issues with it. It didn't make sense from the beginning, and it keeps cancelling the others out because it has more financial backing. The last 2 years there has been a better initiative but this one gets pushed forward and it's not what anyone except like 30 people want.
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