DeWine Announces Stance on Issue 3

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine made a stop in Zanesville to announce his opposition to Issue 3–the legalization of marijuana, saying, “We do not need this in the state of Ohio.”

Dewine recently visited Colorado to see first-hand the affects of marijuana legalization. Dewine said he spoke with doctors, law enforcement, and parents on the impact marijuana is having on their state, and its unintended consequences. Dewine said about 45-percent of marijuana sold in Colorado is in edible form, which poses a danger to children.

“It’s brownies, it’s cookies, it’s gummy bears, it’s candy bars, and they look exactly like a real candy bar, a real gummy bear, so it’s understandable why Colorado has seen a marked increase in the number of children who have been taken to emergency rooms,” DeWine said.

DeWine said that Colorado is also seeing a spike in motor-vehicle accidents and underage children suspended from school for being high on marijuana. He told us the most important reason not to vote in favor of issue three—is the message it sends to young people.

“The real message that is sending to young people is that this marijuana is not dangerous, it is not a problem, and it’s benign and it’s fine,” DeWine said. “Scientific studies have shown that children who regularly use, let’s say a 16-year old who is regularly using marijuana, it’s going to harm their brain, they’re going to see a lowering of their IQ.”

DeWine said legalization in will not eliminate the black market, as he found that 2/3 of marijuana sold in Colorado is still black market.