About my two pieces for Huffington Post on the Ohio Marijuana Legalization Initiative, Issue 3: As of 7 a.m. EST today, one has 8,900 likes on Facebook; the other has 18. That’s nearly 500 times more.
The popular one comes out firmly against Issue 3. The other one quotes the Bible (Jacob and Esau), and is more nuanced:
[I]is marijuana prohibition a bigger problem for America today than corrupt government — government where moneyed interests call the shots and seize the spoils? That’s for every voter to decide.
. . .
If you or your loved ones are actually facing the consequences of a marijuana conviction, Responsible Ohio probably looks like a good deal.
And look — Responsible Ohio doesn’t have a monopoly on grabbing marijuana money. But it is the first marijuana consortium to limit its taxes permanently in a State Constitution. That’s outrageous. There are at least six better ways to divide the new wealth and income from marijuana commerce than to give it all to the first self-nominated grabbers. But that brings me back to Judge Wisdom’s point about the lesser of two evils. Different people have different views about which evil is lesser. Where you stand depends on where you sit. That’s why we vote.
Polls seem to be saying Responsible Ohio may win. If it does, much of the blame will be on elected officials who should have seen this coming and figured out a way to handle it. Combined with possible legalization of marijuana in Canada, a win for Responsible Ohio would shake the windows and rattle the walls in Legislatures across the country. Sure, figuring out how to share the newly-created wealth from marijuana legalization fairly is not easy. But it’s not impossible.
(That last hot link is to the report of the California Blue Ribbon Commission.)
I thought the words “outrageous” and “blame” stated my view, for whatever my view might be worth, but readers like the stronger version. Or something about it. Anyway, Ohio State Law Professor Douglas Berman called the less popular, more nuanced one “lovely and astute.” That may be worth more than all those likes.
The Center for New Revenue 