The governor of Ohio has a message for critics of a law rolling back the state’s marijuana market and criminalizing intoxicating hemp products: Stop “whining.”
As a campaign behind a referendum to block certain provisions of the cannabis roll-back law gets to work, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) was asked about the issue and what it would mean if they ultimately proved successful.
“I think the proponents should be happy with their victory at the polls, instead of now going back and whining about something the legislature has done, which frankly I think is very consistent with what the average voter was thinking when they went in to vote,” the governor told News 5 Cleveland.
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“I think we’re very consistent with what voters intended,” he said.
The proposed referendum, led by Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, was recently cleared by the state attorney general’s office following a review of the title and summary. That came after activists revised an initial version that was deemed affirmatively misleading.
When the governor said that “proponents” of the referendum should take the win and accept the policy changes that are being implemented under SB 56, he wasn’t necessarily referring to the broader marijuana industry, as many stakeholders support reining in the consumable hemp market.
“You see this gray market that pops up selling dangerous drugs to children and all other Ohio consumers,” Adrienne Robbins of the Ohio Cannabis Coalition said.
But some hemp industry operatives, consumers and advocates view the law’s enactment as an example of legislative overreach.
“We elect officials to represent us and represent what we want to see happen,” Scotty Hunter, whose brewery Urban Artifact sells THC-infused beverages, said . “We don’t elect officials to tell us how to behave, how to act, what to consume. I think they’re out of line, quite honestly.”
“The fact that the legislature is okay with eliminating 6,000 businesses, a billion dollars per year in economic activity, it’s crazy to me—especially when so many Ohioans are struggling,” he said. “This is an opportunity for so many small businesses, and now, you’re gonna make the economic situation even tougher.”
“It’s about the freedom of choice and the government not being overbearing in what people can do day to day in their everyday life,” Hunter said. “And SB 56 completely tramples all over that.”
The governor’s office and a senator who led the charge to pass the bill have previously criticized the cannabis referendum campaign.
In general, the proposal would repeal the first three core sections of a controversial bill that DeWine signed in December that he says is intended to crack down on the unregulated intoxicating hemp market. But the legislation would do more than restrict the sale of cannabinoid products to dispensaries.
Read more at Marijuana Moment
