ResponsibleOhio will be at OU on Oct. 6 for its “Green Rush Bus Tour”.
The group behind Ohio's marijuana legalization ballot issue will be taking to the streets in autumn as preparation for the Nov. 3 election — and making a stop at Ohio University along the way.
ResponsibleOhio announced Monday that they were launching a statewide bus tour to raise support for the measure. The tour will stop in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, making a total over more than 150 stops between this Tuesday and election day.
Faith Oltman, spokesperson for ResponsibleOhio, said the “Green Rush Bus Tour” will be stopping at OU on Oct. 6.
She also said there might be an additional stop elsewhere in Athens. The tour will set up shop in high profile areas in each of the communities they visit and invite members of the public to come and learn about the proposal.
“We can’t wait to share with voters that marijuana reform will bring tens of thousands of jobs to our state and millions in tax revenue to our local communities, provide compassionate care for sick Ohioans and help us take our streets back from drug dealers,” Oltman said in a press release.
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There will be four ResponsibleOhio staff members on the tour — a spokesperson, a driver, one in charge of outreach, and another in charge of social media.
Features of the tour include an interactive visual presentation, medical marijuana testimonials and information about job opportunities.
Oltman said the point of the tour is partially to quell some of the public dissent against the proposal.
The proposal has been criticized by marijuana advocacy groups and legislators alike, who claim it would set up an unfair monopoly over the production and distribution of the drug.
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State legislators have drafted and passed a ballot issue of their own that could potentially overrule ResponsibleOhio’s measure.
That proposal prohibits any ballot initiative that creates a monopoly or grants commercial licensing rights to one group over another.
ResponsibleOhio’s proposal would authorize marijuana to be produced at 10 growing facilities throughout Ohio.
The marijuana would then go to one of five testing facilities, one of which would be in Athens, before being shipped off to retailers.
“There seems to be a lot of misinformation about the proposal,” Oltman said in an interview with The Post. “We just want to take to the streets and talk to voters about what this proposal is all about.”
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