Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 2015
Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH)
Copyright: 2015 The Plain Dealer
Contact: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/letter-to-editor/
Website: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342
Note: priority given to local letter writers
Author: Jane Morice

OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE DEWINE CAMPAIGNS AGAINST MARIJUANA 
LEGALIZATION, ISSUE 3, IN CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine came to 
Cleveland Thursday to speak out against Issue 3, which would legalize 
recreational and medical marijuana use in the state.

DeWine, who made a recent trip to Colorado to learn about what 
marijuana legalization has done to that state, spoke at the Greater 
Cleveland Partnership headquarters on Huron Road in downtown 
Cleveland. With him were the Partnership's CEO Joe Roman and Shaker 
Heights Police Chief Scott Lee.

DeWine said he took a three-day "fact-finding trip" trip to Colorado 
to speak with government and law enforcement officials there. The 
attorney general said the overall message he took away was, "Don't do 
what Colorado has done."

He said he was alarmed that 45 percent of legal marijuana sales in 
Colorado are in the form of edibles, such as candy or baked goods. 
Often, edibles in candy form are not easily distinguishable from 
their name-brand drugstore counterparts, DeWine said.

He said he was upset by Colorado's rising number of emergency room 
visits for children and calls to poison control centers due to the 
accidental ingestion of marijuana in edible form. The lack of 
regulation or quality control of products, he said, is something he 
fears would happen in Ohio if Issue 3 is passed in November.

Both DeWine and Lee lamented the rise of the marijuana black market 
as a result of its legalization.

Lee also spoke about the disparity between federal and state laws in 
terms of marijuana use. He said the idea that children may perceive 
the risks of marijuana as low is "unconscionable" adding that it 
could be "setting kids up for failure" if they are interested in 
getting a job in the federal sector or even in law enforcement.

Roman said that marijuana legalization would put local businesses in 
a tricky situation in terms of employment. He said that he consulted 
with representatives of small, medium, and large businesses across 
the region and got their input before publicly coming out against Issue 3.

DeWine made it clear that he is opposed to Issue 3 because it would 
legalize recreational use of the drug. He said he is not opposed to 
considering the legalization of medical marijuana, as long as it is regulated.

"I favor medical marijuana in the traditional way that we would bring 
any drug to the market," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom