At the stroke of midnight, recreational marijuana became legal in Ohio.
Voters approved last month that adults 21 and older are allowed to use and grow cannabis.
However, Ohio Republicans may be putting the brakes on it.
On Monday, Ohio Senate Republicans proposed banning at-home growing, increasing the substance’s tax rate, and altering how those taxes get distributed.
The ballot measure, dubbed Issue 2, passed on the Nov. 7 election with 57% of the vote - but since it is a citizen’s vote, the legislature is allowed to make tweaks to the law.
Ohio isn’t backwards. The fact that both issues 1 & 2 passed by such (relatively) large margins is evidence of this.
Thanks to gerrymandering, our leadership IS regressive and backwards thinking. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to jump ship instead of staying and fighting.
There’s a very progressive population of new or about to be new voters living in those gerrymandered districts who can absolutely help turn the tide. Then there’s all the Gen X folks like me who were too apathetic or cynical to vote (especially in midterms and local elections) who are suddenly witnessing how important their participation is.
I’m not a religious man at all, but I have faith in this state and the people who live here.