I think yesterday's results

[bornaneer]

I disagree with the notion that there can only be one gateway drugs. There could be many. I agree alcohol and prescription drugs could be as well. That is why I used the word "a" in front of "gateway" in my comment. It isn't exclusive.

I am 100% against legalized pot use outside of medical purposes. And that is one position I will never flip-flop on.

Pot is mostly illegal now and it causes a lot of problems. If it is going to be used, let's tax it and bring in some money, just like we do alcohol and use that money to deal with some of those problems. I also think making it and other drugs legal might help with the crime issues associated with pot and other drugs.

 

[WhiteTailEER]

Pot is mostly illegal now and it causes a lot of problems. If it is going to be used, let's tax it and bring in some money, just like we do alcohol and use that money to deal with some of those problems. I also think making it and other drugs legal might help with the crime issues associated with pot and other drugs.

I agree with that completely, and will take it a step further and say that it will take it off the streets for the most part and actually make it a little harder for minors to get it. You put it wherever, require an ID to buy it just like alcohol and cigarettes, and you get the taxes. You also open an entire legitimate agricultural industry. Who is going to illegally deal pot when everybody can get it legally? Yes, I know minors still get alcohol and they still get cigarettes, but they aren't entering the "criminal" underground to get them either.

It's ridiculous that people are in jails for possession of a plant that grows naturally. It costs a lot of money to hold somebody in jail. So, we have less government expense and more income in the form of taxes.

 

[WhiteTailEER]

Pot is mostly illegal now and it causes a lot of problems. If it is going to be used, let's tax it and bring in some money, just like we do alcohol and use that money to deal with some of those problems. I also think making it and other drugs legal might help with the crime issues associated with pot and other drugs.

 

[COOL MAN]

Not that anyone asked (or perhaps cares), but I read a couple interesting factoids in today's morning paper regarding the marijuana initiative in Ohio......particularly pertaining to my own claims that low turnout was a factor (if perhaps not as important as I might have first expected) in the issue's defeat.

It appears early estimates are that turnout in Ohio was in the 43% range; which is actually said to have marginally exceeded the turnout for John Kasich's blowout re-election last year. Additionally, none of Ohio's 88 counties voted in favor of the initiative; and in fact, only 10 counties even reached the 40% mark in YES votes (while none were even remotely close to the 50% mark).

No doubt, the citizens of Ohio have spoken loudly on this issue......at least in the manner in which it was presented to them Tuesday.

 

[bornaneer]

Not that anyone asked (or perhaps cares), but I read a couple interesting factoids in today's morning paper regarding the marijuana initiative in Ohio......particularly pertaining to my own claims that low turnout was a factor (if perhaps not as important as I might have first expected) in the issue's defeat.

It appears early estimates are that turnout in Ohio was in the 43% range; which is actually said to have marginally exceeded the turnout for John Kasich's blowout re-election last year. Additionally, none of Ohio's 88 counties voted in favor of the initiative; and in fact, only 10 counties even reached the 40% mark in YES votes (while none were even remotely close to the 50% mark).

No doubt, the citizens of Ohio have spoken loudly on this issue......at least in the manner in which it was presented to them Tuesday.

Cool, I have to give it to you. You are about the most level headed and fact based person who posts regardless of which side you stand on. Many of us,myself included, should put aside our egos when we type.

 

[mneilmont]

Not that anyone asked (or perhaps cares), but I read a couple interesting factoids in today's morning paper regarding the marijuana initiative in Ohio......particularly pertaining to my own claims that low turnout was a factor (if perhaps not as important as I might have first expected) in the issue's defeat.

It appears early estimates are that turnout in Ohio was in the 43% range; which is actually said to have marginally exceeded the turnout for John Kasich's blowout re-election last year. Additionally, none of Ohio's 88 counties voted in favor of the initiative; and in fact, only 10 counties even reached the 40% mark in YES votes (while none were even remotely close to the 50% mark).

No doubt, the citizens of Ohio have spoken loudly on this issue......at least in the manner in which it was presented to them Tuesday.

Could we possibly garner from that analysis that the people in Ohio simply prefer to not have pot totally available? We have seen many offerings as excuses as to why it did not pass. Is it possible that the very obvious reason was that the voting public simply didn't want it to pass by a 2:1 ratio? Police work taught me to not overlook the obvious. Can we just stop making hypothetical excuses?

 

[DvlDog4WVU]

Could we possibly garner from that analysis that the people in Ohio simply prefer to not have pot totally available? We have seen many offerings as excuses as to why it did not pass. Is it possible that the very obvious reason was that the voting public simply didn't want it to pass by a 2:1 ratio? Police work taught me to not overlook the obvious. Can we just stop making hypothetical excuses?

I think that is exactly what he said. At least that is the way I read it.

 

[moe]

Could we possibly garner from that analysis that the people in Ohio simply prefer to not have pot totally available? We have seen many offerings as excuses as to why it did not pass. Is it possible that the very obvious reason was that the voting public simply didn't want it to pass by a 2:1 ratio? Police work taught me to not overlook the obvious. Can we just stop making hypothetical excuses?

It's hard to say. There are real (not hypothetical) reasons as to why it didn't pass. I would assume that there will be future efforts to legalize some form of marijuana use in Ohio and depending on how those efforts go, people will get a better idea of how the populace feels on the subject. The states where recreational use is legal had already approved medical use, Ohio had not and tried to legalize both aspects simultaneously. Also there was the monopoly aspect (which has seemingly been eliminated now) which caused many recreational use supporters to work and vote against the recent ballot initiative.

 

[Airport]

Not that anyone asked (or perhaps cares), but I read a couple interesting factoids in today's morning paper regarding the marijuana initiative in Ohio......particularly pertaining to my own claims that low turnout was a factor (if perhaps not as important as I might have first expected) in the issue's defeat.

It appears early estimates are that turnout in Ohio was in the 43% range; which is actually said to have marginally exceeded the turnout for John Kasich's blowout re-election last year. Additionally, none of Ohio's 88 counties voted in favor of the initiative; and in fact, only 10 counties even reached the 40% mark in YES votes (while none were even remotely close to the 50% mark).

No doubt, the citizens of Ohio have spoken loudly on this issue......at least in the manner in which it was presented to them Tuesday.

Do you think that those that didn't turn out to vote were stoned?imp:

 

[COOL MAN]

Cool, I have to give it to you. You are about the most level headed and fact based person who posts regardless of which side you stand on. Many of us,myself included, should put aside our egos when we type.

I appreciate you're saying so; I know not too many around here even attempt to (or care to) be that way. Anyway.....and in spite of how I characterized the word "truth" around here recently......when it comes to numbers, truth really is truth in this particular case regarding legalized weed in Ohio..

I'm the dumbest numbers guy there is; and even I can admit they prove beyond any shadow of a doubt the issue got downright whacked. And I myself consider this reality to be a useful point for supporters on either side. I myself still think the numbers are closer if recreational use is eliminated from the issue, while I know others (including my wife) were philosophically-opposed to the oligarchy the growers attempted to put together. But I admittedly have no clue how much closer; especially because this was one case where pre-election polling was so wrong.

In any event, the numbers were so far apart that I think a case can be persuasively made that legalizing weed is probably a pretty tough long-term proposition for supporters.....almost no matter how the issue is written.....in this State.

Do you think that those that didn't turn out to vote were stoned?imp:

Possibly, but the most compelling aspect of the issue.....medicinal availability, which represented my own personal basis for support.....was simply overwhelmed by this notion (expressed by both the organized opposition and yourself) that legalizing weed was simply an avenue to make it easier for potheads (and kids) to get it. And if that's truly the case, I'm not sure enough registered voters would ever be willing to leave their recreational bongs long enough to formally register a clear-headed vote.

 

[dave]

Possibly, but the most compelling aspect of the issue.....medicinal availability, which represented my own personal basis for support.....was simply overwhelmed by this notion (expressed by both the organized opposition and yourself) that legalizing weed was simply an avenue to make it easier for potheads (and kids) to get it. And if that's truly the case, I'm not sure enough registered voters would ever be willing to leave their recreational bongs long enough to formally register a clear-headed vote.

I think that notion is pretty easy to believe because at least in California (or specific counties in Calif.) where it is legal to grow for medicinal use it has become a bit of a fiasco and growing has become big business and pot doctors who hand out scripts much like Oxy doctors do in Appalachia have made "medicinal" use recreational.