The Grand Lake Task Force of Auglaize/Mercer County has announced its opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize the use of marijuana and allow a limited number of grow operations within the state of Ohio. The Task Force felt strongly that the legalization of marijuana will cause more issues for our youth and law enforcement. The Task Force remains committed to the youth of our state by also supporting the DARE Program and SRO officers. As the Grand Lake Task Force it is our belief that Ohio’s businesses need to offer a safe work environment while remaining competitive in the workforce. Society is not immune to the social ills that follow destructive behavior.
The proponents of this issue want to sway your vote because they stand to make millions if the vote goes their way. How will this vote affect you and your family? If you don’t know the answers, we ask that you educate yourself and vote no on Issue 3! By voting no, you will join others that include Ohio Task Force Commanders Association, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio State Medical Association, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Prosecutors Association, Ohio Coroner’s Association, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, the Drug Free Action Alliance, and many more organizations and agencies throughout our great state. Help us take a stand! Be a part of the movement that stands on the facts that drug use is not good for our state.
Contrary to what television ads may say, our local enforcement efforts are not spent tracking down marijuana smokers. Our enforcement efforts have been primarily on harder drugs, like heroin or cocaine, for a number of years.
As we look at the history of marijuana in our community, our state, and in our nation, it has most certainly been a hot topic for years. Our prisons are not full of people that were caught holding small amounts of marijuana. In fact, there are very few in our state’s prisons that are incarcerated for the primary offense of possessing marijuana. Law enforcement typically gets involved with a marijuana user or dealer because they have made themselves known to us by violating laws.
Part of law enforcement’s issues is the threat of the target to young people.
• Marijuana edibles and marijuana-infused beverages will be sold. These products contain higher THC (the high of cannabis) in other legalized states, which is causing more dangerous consequences such as children poisonings, adverse health effects, etc.
• Up to 70 percent THC.
• More potent than smoking marijuana (12 percent THC).
• THC levels are inconsistent, even with packaging.
• March 9, 2014, Denver Post — testing showed that labels didn’t match actual THC level.
• “Claude” the THC infused Black Cherry Gummy Bear has 100 mg of THC per bear. Colorado law is only to have 10mg per serving. So Claude’s foot alone would be one serving!
• Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims.
Things you did not know about Colorado:
• In 2014, nearly 40 percent, equivalent to 53 tons of the marijuana sold in Colorado was via the black market?
• The number of pets poisoned from ingesting marijuana has increased four-fold in the past six years.
• THC potency has risen from an average of 3.96 percent in 1995 to an average of 12.33 percent in 2013.
• The average for Colorado marijuana-related exposures per year increased 89 percent from 2006-2009 to 2010-2013. This compares to a 32 percent increase nationally.
The effect on youth is a concern for sheriffs, chiefs and the Grand Lake Task Force and should also be a concern of yours!
