By Nadya Korytnikova, For The Miami Student
While a small portion of the state has attempted to pull together in support of the legalization of marijuana for daily and medical use, Hamilton city officials are doing all they can to ban the sale of marijuana in the city.
A political action committee called Responsible Ohio proposed a plan for the legalization of marijuana. The plan would amend the Ohio Constitution by making marijuana legal for both medical and personal use for people over 21 years old with no criminal background.
According to the committee's plan, the farms where marijuana would grow would be located at least 1,000 feet away from all schools, libraries and other public places. The committee is also planning to create an Ohio Marijuana Control Commission in order to provide regular control and oversight of the marijuana industry in Ohio.
However, despite Responsible Ohio's attempts, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a public statement the committee's proposal to legalize the drug is "a stupid idea."
"The proposal that I saw is just a ludicrous proposal," DeWine said. "It's basically legalizing a monopoly in the state of Ohio among a few individuals or a few companies who will be able to make all the money from the sale of marijuana."
Hamilton's senior planner John Creech also said the idea of marijuana legalization is not good for Ohio.
"There were a whole bunch of things that folks didn't want to see in neighborhood business districts," Creech said. "My guess is that they thought [the sale of marijuana] would have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood."
After the City Planning Commission held a public hearing to review the proposal changes regarding the legalization of marijuana, it was decided to ban any sale of the drug. Those who violate this decision could be fined anywhere between $250 to $500. This ban was enacted as a preventative measure so that there is no chance of legalization for the area in November.
Although the law forbids the sale of marijuana for both daily and medical use, three pending ballot issues concerning marijuana legalization for medical purposes currently exist. The Ohio Right Group organization is collecting signatures of Ohio residents that support the use of medical marijuana. However, the organization has only collected about 150,000 signatures, and must collect 305,591 signatures in at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties in order for the proposal to be considered in the next election.
"I think the legalization of marijuana [for recreational use] in Ohio would have a negative impact on daily life," junior Grace Clements said. "The legalization of marijuana for medical use is a different story. There is enough scientific research supporting its use in conjunction with chemotherapy and eating disorders for me to justify its usage in a medical setting."