On Tuesday, Ohio citizens will vote on a ballot initiative that will legalize pot in the state for recreational use. The controversy, however, just may affect the future of the legalization of marijuana.
On Tuesday, Ohio looks to become only the fifth state in the country to legalize marijuana for non-medicinal purposes. The state of Ohio has a ballot initiative coming up on Tuesday that could change the rules of the game with regard to the legalization of marijuana. It has many eyeing the coming game for potential profits.
There is a strong movement afoot in the country that looks to use its business and political savvy to advance the legalization of marijuana, according to The Washington Post. If things go well in Ohio and it is legalized there, the rules may shift and future movements will be looking toward building companies and establishing profits from the production and sale of marijuana.
This will also be the first time any state has attempted to legalize marijuana across the board for both recreational and medicine purposes. What Ohio will establish if they legalize pot will be a monopoly for a privileged and savvy few. If the ballot initiative passes, there will only be 10 designated farms in the entire state that will be authorized to grow marijuana. Anyone looking to sell it for profit will have to buy only from one of the designated farms.
Ohio is also strange in that the ballot initiative will become an official amendment to the state’s constitution. The movement to back the passage of the bill was entirely funded by those who will directly benefit from the establishment of the pot farms. Each potential ownership group contributed $2 to$4 million toward the promotion of the passage of the initiative and it is estimated that the pot industry in Ohio will bring in over $1 billion a year.
The constitutional amendment allows these people to profit for eternity with no possibility of a legal challenge to prohibit them from making their profits.The opposition has their own ballot initiative going on Tuesday. The initiative states that a constitutional amendment can’t be created in Ohio specifically for the financial gain of an individual or a group.