Ohio Governor Opposes Recreational Marijuana

COLUMBUS, OH — Governor Mike DeWine recently revealed he is opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio. DeWine's opposition comes despite a growing national trend toward legalization, including in neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan.

In an interview with the Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau, DeWine said marijuana is more potent now than it has ever been and could pose a health risk to Ohio's youth. He said legalizing the drug would be a "mistake."

The now-governor said he opposed an amendment in 2015 to legalize recreational marijuana and, as Ohio's attorney general, DeWine also had a hand in rejecting petitions to place similar amendments on voters' ballots.

The move to legalize recreational marijuana garnered hefty publicity in 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states to make the drug legally available to adults. However, the push for legalization has not been unique to the Western United States. Rust Belt states like Michigan and Illinois have also recently legalized recreational marijuana.

In the final months of 2019, Illinois passed a law legalizing recreational marijuana. Illinois residents are allowed to buy or possess up to 30 grams of marijuana flower, 5 grams of concentrated cannabis, and edibles infused with up to 500 milligrams of THC or any equivalent combination.

Michigan legalized weed in 2018, passing a measure to change the drug's classification with 56 percent of the vote.