By Owen Pennington

Recently, Ohio Voters passed Issue 2: a bill allowing for legal, recreational use of cannabis in Ohio by adults over the age of 21. The day it passed was also a win for abortion activists, who got to see the legalization of abortion ratified in the Ohio Constitution. However, while I respect the decision of the voters and am proud to call myself a citizen of a country allowing votes on matters like Issue 2, I do believe Ohio voters made a grave mistake in allowing the usage of marijuana legally; here’s why.

To start, we must first define the standards that the passage of Issue 2 imposes on the state. It will provide adults over the age of 21 with the ability to grow and consume cannabis in Ohio. The sale of marijuana will also be taxed, allowing for more money to circulate in our state economy as a result. However, the implication of these standards is far too alarming to simply ignore.

According to the Rocky Mountain  High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado was enacted, all traffic deaths wherein the driver tested positive for marijuana increased 109%. However, it is important to keep in mind that there were only 79 traffic deaths in 2021 in Colorado, regardless of that extreme percentage increase. A 2022 national study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also concluded that crash fatalities increased 4.1% as a result of legalizing marijuana.

Keeping roads safe is a priority that all Americans should prioritize. While crashes and accidents may be inevitable regardless of cannabis legalization, it is no excuse to trade lives of people in exchange for the enjoyment of marijuana. If we can save lives on the road, we must take action to do so. It is on this point that Ohio voters failed.

Secondly, exposure to children and teens to marijuana will jump significantly given marijuana legalization. As a study by the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Toxicology found, teen cannabis abuse has increased 245% over 20 years. The researchers concluded in the study that the greatest spike in data was from 2017 through 2020, a time when other states followed California and Colorado in legalizing the usage of marijuana. 

The exposure to marijuana for the youth will undoubtedly have an impact on the culture we will promote. Our youth are not just the future of Ohio but the present of Ohio. To neglect their wellbeing so quickly and vote away their protection from development-stunting substances is a reckless move. 

Some may be quick to object to my claims, stating that the tax revenue generated will provide state and federal governments with an immense opportunity to improve infrastructure and to better the safety of the nation through government-funded programs. But why must we prioritize monetary gains and shuffle away the problem resulting from those very gains? You cannot serve two masters: the financial benefit must only be recognized in spite of the sheer amount of havoc it will wreak on our youth and on our drivers. Some may also say that there is not a definitive way to tie the aforementioned deaths to marijuana use or that the quantity of deaths is minimal; I’d argue ANY number of deaths or compromise to traffic safety is something that we should not accept at all.

The disorder and casualties can be slowed and reduced, and it is in the population’s best interest to do so. The fiscal and personal rewards of regulating marijuana are at complete odds with the reality it imposes on the grieving families, concerned and troubled parents, and the preservation of safety within this state. While Ohio voters certainly made their voices heard on the matter of marijuana legalization, it is for my reasons above that I believe they made the wrong decision.