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The ad then cuts to a young woman in a coffee shop, who offers, "It'll give me a chance to open a business! Or pay off my college loans!" Then it cuts to another young woman, holding a backpack in the street, says, "Legalizing marijuana will provide tax revenue for local safety services. Let's do what the politicians haven't done. For marijuana legalization, vote 'No' on 2, and 'Yes' on 3."This last part is a reference to a second ballot initiative that Ohioans will vote on Tuesday, one that makes the legalization situation even more complicated. That initiative, know as Issue 2 or the Ohio Initiated Monopolies Amendment, would "prohibit an initiated constitutional amendment that would grant a monopoly, oligopoly, or cartel, specify or determine a tax rate, or confer a commercial interest, right, or license to any person or nonpublic entity." While the amendment doesn't specifically mention marijuana, it seems specifically designed to block the passage of marijuana legalization in the state. Because as its name suggests, the amendment could nullify Issue 3 for violating Ohio's constitution."Lawmakers don't want marijuana legalization to come to Ohio," ResponsibleOhio spokesperson Faith Oltman told VICE.Aaron Weaver, the president of Citizens Against ResponsibleOhio, sees things a bit differently. His group supports marijuana legalization, but opposes Issue 3 on the basis that it would create an unfair business environment. "There's a fine line when it comes to public policy," Weaver said in a phone interview last week. He described ResponsibleOhio's stance as, "Hey, we'll legalize [marijuana], we'll even make it a free market for you guys, but everybody's gotta chop off their left foot if they want it to pass."
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Morgan Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that lobbies on behalf of marijuana law reform, told VICE that the hodgepodge group of investors that make up ResponsibleOhio is another sign that the marijuana industry is taking steps towards legitimacy. Still, he said, "It's concerning that these don't seem to be people with knowledge about marijuana, the industry, or marijuana policies. But I'm sure they can hire people that do."Fox noted that ResponsibleOhio has already hit one minor PR snafu. The group's mascot—yes, the PAC has a mascot—is "Buddie," a superhero whose head is a giant marijuana bud.
"Buddie's counterproductive," said Fox. "He opens up the campaign to a lot of the criticism that prohibitionists are trying to use." Namely, he explained, the cuddly mascot suggests that Ohio's weed industry is going to take a page from alcohol and tobacco companies and market their product to kids.
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