Pubdate: Fri, 14 Feb 2014
Source: Miami Student, The (OH Edu)
Copyright: 2014 The Miami Student
Contact:  http://www.miamistudent.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4125
Author: Emily C. Tate

BUDDING MOVEMENT TO LEGALIZE

After dozens of election cycles, Ohio has earned its name as a swing 
state, but now it is ready to test the limits of that title on the 
issue of legalizing marijuana. To date, medical marijuana has been 
legalized in 20 U.S. States plus the District of Columbia, and Ohio 
might be joining this list after the 2014 election, according to an 
article on Cantonrep.com.

However, for this to even be possible, the state must first overcome 
a number of milestones. In order to have the issue of medicinal 
marijuana on the 2014 ballot, the organizations vying for 
legalization, such as the Ohio Rights Group, must obtain 
approximately 385,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters, according 
to an article on Morningjournal.com.

If it comes down to a vote during the November elections, statistics 
suggest the amendment is likely to pass. In the most recent CNN poll, 
from January 2014, 55 percent of Americans believe the use of 
marijuana should be made legal. This has jumped 12 percent since the 
same poll was issued in 2012 and is up 20 percent from when the poll 
was released in 2008.

In a survey of 100 Miami University sophomores, the responses also 
favored marijuana legalization. 89 percent supported legalization for 
medicinal and/or recreational purposes or had no opinion on the 
matter, leaving 11 percent of those polled against legalization.

Miami sophomore Andrew Jennings (name changed to protect against 
legal repercussions) provided several reasons why he believes it 
should be legalized.

"Economically, it makes a lot of sense," he said. "A lot of people 
are in prison for it - for something that isn't even harmful - and 
that's costing us tax money. [Legalizing] it would help us get out of 
some debt. Plus, it's natural and less harmful than alcohol."

Other students, whose responses were kept anonymous, left comments on 
the survey.

"I think that as part of our rights as Americans, the government 
should uphold its duty to allow people to experiment with their 
minds," one student said. "Weed has less harmful effects - AKA does 
not cause addiction, like tobacco. Hemp is a superfood! The crop can 
be used to stimulate economic benefits as well as bring local 
businesses success."

Not all Miami students agreed - or all Americans, for that matter. 
Many people are still strongly opposed to the use and sale of 
marijuana. One example is Miami sophomore Peyton Little (name changed 
to protect against legal repercussions).

"The consequences that come with [marijuana] - the health issues, the 
relationship strains, and just seeing what it does to people - weigh 
down the benefits," Little said. "I think if they legalize it, it 
won't help the issue. It will just make all of that worse."

A new poll from CNN showed 73 percent of Americans view alcohol use 
as more dangerous than marijuana use. Jennings took a similar stance.

"From personal experience, I would say alcohol is way worse," he 
said. "I make a lot more bad decisions when I'm drinking than when 
I'm smoking. It's easier to become more belligerent and reckless when 
I'm drinking. When I'm smoking I would rather just chill, but when 
I'm drinking I like to get rowdy."

On Miami's campus, the problem of marijuana use pales in comparison 
to that of underage drinking, according to Sergeant Jon Varley of the 
Oxford Police Department.

"For Oxford, there's quite a bit of marijuana," he said. "We see it 
probably every weekend. Obviously it's not as big of an issue as the 
alcohol, though."

The charges for marijuana and alcohol-related offenses are also very 
different from one another.

"In the past couple of years it has changed [for marijuana 
offenses]," Varley said. "Marijuana has been decriminalized - meaning 
unless you have a substantial amount, you aren't going to go to jail, 
it's just a small fine. They also basically decriminalized 
paraphernalia for it, like pipes. It's just a minor misdemeanor citation."

In Ohio, possession of and/or cultivation of less than 100 grams (3.5 
ounces) of marijuana is punishable as only a minor misdemeanor, which 
has a maximum fine of $150 and no jail time, according to mpp.org. 
(For comparison, other crimes in Oxford of the same charge include 
failure to shovel snow from the sidewalks of one's personal 
property). Beyond that quantity of marijuana, though, the severity 
increases exponentially.

"Selling it is a different story," Varley said. "That can be a felony 
for trafficking. Depending on the quantities, that can get you prison time."

In a survey of the same 100 Miami students, just over half admitted 
to smoking marijuana on a regular basis. Of these, 87 percent also 
admitted to purchasing their marijuana from another Miami student. 
Varley said they have assumed as much but cannot always track it very easily.

"It's hard to say because some people buy it from a friend who 
brought it from home, someone who maybe had gone home for the weekend 
and came back with a supply," he said. "It's hard to say if it's one 
kid or a group of kids distributing it in Oxford.

There's a lot of different ways people get it, not necessarily 
through a dealer so much as a friend or an acquaintance." As for 
Miami's nightlife and partying atmosphere, Varley said he does not 
expect to see any significant change in the police enforcement if 
marijuana does become legalized.

"It would completely depend on the laws that came along with it, such 
as the age limit," he said. "I think it would become very similar to 
the alcohol policies and enforcements." Varley also said he would not 
be surprised if, in the not-too-distant future, marijuana does indeed 
become legalized. For more information on the Ohio Rights Group and 
their petition to legalize the Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment (OCRA), 
visit http://www.ohiorightsgroup.org.
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