Cliff Rosenberger, the Ohio House speaker, promised a “measured approach” to whether the state should legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. That got started last week with the formation of a 15-member task force, headed by state Rep. Kirk Schuring, a Canton Republican. The panel has until April to shape its conclusions and recommendations. It also would do well to weigh why legalization makes sense in a broader way.
In November, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 3, the legalization plan of ResponsibleOhio. They did so largely because of the monopoly-like structure, growth and cultivation limited to 10 groups of investors, each positioned to reap big money. After all, polls show roughly nine in 10 Ohioans favor the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and a slight majority backs legalization for recreational use.
That huge majority, especially, has the attention of lawmakers. For its part, the Ohio Senate will conduct town meetings across the state to explore the question.
There is logic in Ohio limiting its focus. Other states have moved similarly, two dozen allowing for medical marijuana compared to just four permitting recreational use. Compassion is an obvious factor. Some suffering from illnesses find relief in pot. A tight regulatory regimen can be erected to deter those seeking to game the system.
In that way, legalization for recreational use can seem a step too far, or minus a worthy result. Yet approval for such use brings its own element of common sense, something that shouldn’t be lost on lawmakers and others.
The argument isn’t that pot is free of health risks or harm. It does have obvious downsides, driven, in particular, by the potency and amount consumed. At the same time, the research shows that it is less dangerous overall than alcohol and tobacco, or drugs long legal.
Why, then, continue treating recreational use as part of criminal activity, making way for illegal trafficking? Pot already is available, and the current arrangement consumes public resources, especially in law enforcement, and criminal records can harm lives to degrees far out of proportion. Bring the business out of the shadows, and it can be taxed to advance good purposes, from education to mental health.
The business also can be highly regulated, ensuring the safety of the product and protecting children from access. Would marijuana use increase? Probably. Yet public education campaigns have succeeded in recent decades in reducing cigarette smoking and alcohol use among young people. Marijuana legalization could be met with the same.
The point is, the criminalizing of the marijuana business carries heavy costs, and they would be reduced through the legalization of recreational use. A revenue stream would open, and so would the door to proper oversight. All of that is worthy of lawmakers bearing in mind.