Voters in Ohio Reject Marijuana Legalization Amendment - New York Times
Ohio Now a Battleground State For Marijuana - CBS News
Ohio Marijuana Legalization: Investors Insist There's No Monopoly - CNN Money
On Election Day, Ohio decisively voted against a statewide measure, called Issue 3, that would allow for the use of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes throughout the state. At first glance, it seems as if this is a loss for those in favor of legalizing marijuana. They believed that if Ohio, a political battleground state, were to legalize marijuana, other states would follow. However, this issue is not as black and white as legalization has been in many other states.
Prior to Election Day, polls done in Ohio had shown that the majority of Ohio citizens were in favor of legalization, so why was it voted down? The reason it was rejected had to do with its economics and the issue of monopoly. Issue 3, while legalizing the use of marijuana, would have put huge limits on its sale. If it had been passed, only marijuana grown from 10 farms (which are operated by the 25 investors who funded the measure and its campaign) could be sold. Citizens would be able to grow marijuana for personal use, but they could not sell it. Many people, including those in favor of marijuana legalization, campaigned against the measure due to the monopoly it would give these investors. Instead of allowing a free market to emerge, passing Issue 3 would lead to a few wealthy investors controlling the entire marijuana economy in the state, which they can manipulate for their own gain. Although they want marijuana legalized, they believe it would be better to wait for a new measure that discourages monopoly in the industry to be passed. On the other hand, people in favor of the measure argue that 10 competing farms is not a monopoly and that they deserve to have a lot of power over the marijuana economy, due to their important roles in getting it legalized and all the money they spent (which totaled to over $20 million).
If you were an Ohio voter who favored the legalization of marijuana, would you vote against Issue 3 because of its economic issues? Do you consider the power the investors would have had over the marijuana economy to be a monopoly, even if there are 10 separate farms competing? Is the control given to the investors by Issue 3 unfair, or is it justified?
