By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
In the end, what was supposed to be a hotly contested issue in Ohio to legalize marijuana turned to be little more than a puff of smoke both here and across the state.
Crawford County voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 3 which would have provided legal access to marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. More than 70 percent of local voters said no at the ballot box.
Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold saw the vote as support for the tough stance being taken here on illegal drug use.
“I’m not surprised. I think the people of Crawford County, as well as the people of Ohio, realize the drug problem has a devastating effect on families and communities,” Sean Leuthold said. “Allowing easy access to marijuana would only make the situation worse and undo the good work that has been done in the community.”
While the results statewide weren’t quite as one-sided as in Crawford County, it was not close. The marijuana issue was going down at last count by more than 800,000 votes. The amount is considerable considering that proponents of Issue 3 outspent opponents by more than a 10-1 margin.
“I’m not surprised it was defeated. I have a lot of faith in the voters to do the right thing,” said Shane Leuthold, who was unopposed in his bid for a full term on the bench of Crawford County Municipal Court. “They saw that legalizing drugs was not going to make it easier (to battle drug addiction).”
Issues 1 and 2 both passed in Crawford County and the state. Issue 2 was of special importance to the marijuana issue because of its restrictions on monopolies, an important part of Issue 3 which initially limited the number of legal growers in the state should it have passed.
Issue 1 made drawing legislative maps a bi-partisan process and is an amendment to the state’s constitution.