Today is the day. November 3rd. We as Ohioans have a huge decision before us. Yes I am of course talking about issue 3 Marijuana legalization. I don't smoke pot or have any desire, yet I realize the vast importance of this issue to us as a state. Before I make my argument I am working under the assumption you want America to be great. Ohio is the heart of America and no country can be great with a sick heart. So we must work to make Ohio great. Legalization will be incredibly good for Ohio. Our prisons are over crowded with people who simply should not be there. They have harmed no one and we live in a free country. You can't truly say you are free if you don't even have control over what you put in your own body. but diminishing the financial strain on our state by our prisons is only a small piece.
Those who have been arrested for non-violent offenses are still labeled as a felon, then released into a world where it's near impossible to get a job, as a felon. People can't be productive and successful if they are unable to find employment because of a felony. Our work force is sick and we have an opportunity to make it better.
If legalized Ohio will gain 30.000 jobs, 30,000 good paying jobs. More jobs means the state is healthier. The state of Colorado created over 70 million dollars in tax revenue in the first year alone. Keep in mind that the first year the industry was just being established for the first half. We are literally creating a whole new industry. These jobs aren't being imported from somewhere else, they are being created, wealth is being created. New jobs to help Ohioans find work. It's a several hundred million dollar industry in Colorado and the state as a whole prospers from this extra revenue enormously! Ohio is beautiful and prosperous and wonderful, but I want to see it rise to the top. To see it prosper like never before. To do so we need a strong and diverse economy. Legalization will add strength and diversity to our economy, as well as create 1,100 new businesses in our state.
Let's be very real. We have outlawed marijuana for decades and it's now our number 1 grown cash crop. The industry is there and it's alive and well. Legalization will destroy the criminal aspect by taking out the black markets and drug lords, while at the same time implementing a safe, and regulated business enterprise. We have an opportunity here An opportunity to destroy crime, to show compassion and not imprison people for using their own bodies how they choose, and to grow, and I mean REALLY grow the Ohio economy. This is in my opinion, a deciding issue. A issue in which we decide to embrace an economy of huge growth and welcome new commerce into our beautiful state, or to continue on with the status quo and wait to legalize at a later time and miss out on the huge and great opportunity that is before us. Yes issue 3 is about Marijuana legalization, but it's also about so much more. It's about Ohio and what we can do for her. I will be voting for increased personal liberty and economic freedom, as well as voting for our states continued prosperity. I will be voting yes on issue 3.
