Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 Source: Morning Journal (Lorain, OH) Copyright: 2015 Morning Journal Contact: http://www.morningjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3569 Author: Richard Payerchin RESPONSIBLEOHIO: MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION WOULD HELP LORAIN Legalizing marijuana could bring financial benefits to Lorain city and county, said the director of the group promoting a statewide vote on the drug. ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James visited Lorain on June 15 with Lorain attorney Anthony Giardini to discuss the medical, social and financial effects of legalizing marijuana. ResponsibleOhio supporters are collecting signatures to put a marijuana legalization issue on the November ballot. If approved, Lorain would be one of 10 locations around the state to grow and process the plants. One of six state marijuana testing facilities also would be located in Lorain County, James said. Legalizing marijuana also would allow Ohio doctors to provide compassionate care for patients who would use the drug for medical purposes, he said. It also would change the way police enforce Ohio laws. The state currently spends $120 million a year to enforce marijuana prohibition, "or to enforce failure," James said, because for people who know dealers, the drug is available as quickly as ordering a home-delivered pizza. "That's just to illustrate that marijuana prohibition has failed," James said. ResponsibleOhio also included a tally of the lingering financial effects of the Great Recession specific to Lorain County. Since 2010, the county has seen $48.4 million in state cuts to education and local government aid. In the last year, major employers such as U.S. Steel and Invacare Corp. have laid off nearly 750 workers, according to the figures from ResponsibleOhio. However, legalizing marijuana could create up to 300 jobs at an indoor growing facility, estimated to be 100,000 square feet and located in the city's Riverbend Commerce Park off Colorado Avenue on Lorain's east side. That facility would be one of 10 independently owned grow and processing centers around Ohio. New retailers selling marijuana for personal or recreational use also would add jobs around the state, the supporters said. In the ResponsibleOhio plan, there would be one marijuana retailer license created per 10,000 people, or about 1,150 for the entire state. Licensed retail sellers would have to have approval through local option elections in communities around Ohio. "It's 300 jobs in Lorain County, not counting all the retailers and the additional tax," Giardini said. "For Lorain County, this is a big boon." Based on projected annual marijuana tax revenues, Lorain could receive $1.6 million a year, Elyria could receive $1.3 million a year and North Ridgeville would see an additional $777,000 a year, according to ResponsibleOhio's figures. "If you don't like potholes, you should - no pun intended - you should vote for this issue," Giardini said. The revenue projections are based on data including a web site that tracks the price of marijuana around the world. If it were legalized, premium marijuana in Ohio could sell for about $280 per ounce, James said, although he noted the state's marijuana control commission would set the price of the drug. Illegal street sales for marijuana sell for more than $300 an ounce, he said. The medical dispensaries would be licensed by the state and operated independently of the retail sellers. The new law also would allow Ohioans to grow up to four marijuana plants for personal use. The drug would remain prohibited for people younger than 21, according to the ResponsibleOhio plan. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom