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The economic downturn has hit Ohio like a ton of bricks. Ohio has a manufacturing economy, and the country has decided we should let the manufacturers go overseas. A lot of car plants that belong to Chrysler and GM pepper the state, and the layoffs are coming fast and hard on those towns depending on the steady work. Tax revenues are in a free fall, and the state's budget has been cut with a meat cleaver. Things are not going well.

So far, there have been numerous ballot initiatives crafted to allow casinos in various configurations that have all been turned down by the voters, but, thanks to the recession, slot machines will be at the racetracks soon. Like many other states without casino's, yet another statewide referendum to bring them in is up for voter approval. In the middle of this recession, the argument isn't about gaming anymore, it's about jobs..

Before Indiana or Kentucky steal this thunder, why not consider the incredible income stream that is marijuana. Not only does this seem to promise an incredible potential for tax revenue, think of the benefits farmers could see. And how about green industries like bio fuels. Cannabis plants are a natural for making bio-fuels.

Why doesn't Ohio consider this?

Is it so crazy? Already, a majority of Ohioans favor legalizing marijuana for medical use.* Who would really have a problem with giving people in pain a cheaper alternative to deal with it? There are hundreds of studies concerning the use of marijuana in conjunction with chemotherapy and clearly it works. So much so that pharmaceutical companies have created a pill to deliver THC. It just costs a heck of a lot more than buying a joint. And it's less effective, according to some studies.

Once it's legalized for medicine, it wouldn't be a stretch to allow over the counter sale of marijuana, or maybe even control it sort of like alcohol. Either way, it's a damn site easier to regulate a legal business than to chase drug gangs around, who are selling a plant that grows wild in Ohio anyway.

What is really hard to see is the downside. Will more people be ingesting marijuana? Maybe, but the argument isn't very convincing that it will. Even if they do, it's going to end up being a lot less harmful than alcohol consumption. Will more kids start smoking marijuana? Seems easier to keep it out of preteen hands if it's sold by the state with retailers who have something to lose if the don't follow the rules. Currently, dealers can sell to anyone they want and

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