Prosecutors urge Ohioans to reject Issue 2 for reasons that supporters say are 'out of touch'

Opponents of Issue 2, the proposal that would legalize and tax marijuana use and sale for Ohioans over 21, say there are many problems with the proposal voters will decide Tuesday. But supporters of the initiated statute characterize the prosecutor’s concerns as “scare tactics.”

The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association said Issue 2 will hurt kids and communities. And they say enforcement limits baked into it will make it harder to enforce driving laws.

Ashland County Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell also added that because legal pot will be sold at costs high enough to compensate for overhead and taxes, drug dealers won’t be deterred from selling illegal marijuana.

“The key reason, in my opinion, that this isn’t going to stop who we’ll call Joe the Weed Man, from selling out of his house is that he’s going to be less expensive than these people. These people have overhead. These people have to make a profit. And then they’ve promised big money in taxes so that everybody makes sure they go and vote for this money-making scheme,” Tunnel said.

According to a report from Rutgers University’s Center for Alcohol and Substance Use Studies, California’s police confiscations of illegal marijuana have continued since it legalized recreational marijuana in 2016 and arrests for illegal marijuana have actually increased.