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Billionaire Pushes For MMJ

vta

vta

Active member
Veteran
Billionaire Set To Propose Med-Pot Vote in Ohio

By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch
Source: Columbus Dispatch

medical Ohio -- Billionaire Peter Lewis is sending up smoke signals about a proposal for an Ohio ballot issue to legalize medical use of marijuana.

Lewis, a Clevelander who is chairman of Progressive Insurance, the nation's third-largest insurer, has given millions over the years to marijuana-related causes. Now, he wants to bring the issue to his home state.

Through his attorney, Lewis put out a request for proposals to pass an Ohio issue that will "create a model for future campaigns in other states."

Following California in 1996, 14 other states have passed ballot issues legalizing marijuana for medically qualified patients, most through ballot issues.

The request says Ohio "stands out as having particularly high levels of voter support. This provides an opportunity to enact a new law that will directly help patients and to do so in a manner that will serve as a model for other states."

Lewis is seeking a proposal to include drafting ballot language, qualifying for the ballot, building an organization, communicating with voters and raising money.

Lewis was one of a trio of wealthy backers of an unsuccessful 2002 ballot issue substituting treatment for incarceration for most non-violent drug offenders.

In addition, he has given about $1.5 million to state and federal political candidates and parties, mostly Democrats, in the past decade.

Lewis was arrested in 2000 for possession of marijuana and hashish at an airport in New Zealand, but charges were dropped when he made a generous donation to a drug-rehab center.
 
B

B. Self Reliant

Good for him. It's nice to see a rich guy doing something useful with his scratch. . .
 
Irie_Lion

Irie_Lion

Free up the Herbs....Let the Sacrament grow!
Veteran
dont be suprised if it does...things are changing. I think they had something goin on last yr or 2 ago bout it too that didnt go thru. Pretty cool though that he is willing to put up some $$$ for the cause cuz he got a lot of it! Would be nice if progressive insurance customers got a discount if they were in favor of it. Lots of ppl nationwide would prob make the switch to progressive lol.

good vibez
 
Kant C Shyt

Kant C Shyt

Active member
Veteran
The government can act like they don't hear our voices but I know they hear dollars ;). Hope it goes well in Ohio. Good to hear that Peter Lewis has been "on board" for awhile. Ya'll take care 1
 
G

Guest 88950

thats why i have had progressive insurance since 2000, got to support companies that are behind mmj.
 
vta

vta

Active member
Veteran
Noobian said:
In Ohio? Ain't gonna happen!
Click to expand...

Ohio has some of the most liberal cannabis laws already. I think it has a good chance...especially since over 80% of voters support allowing cannabis for medical use and this would be a voter initiative. We shall see..

OHIO LAW said:
Possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana is a citable offense only, with a fine of $150. Possession of 100 grams or more is punishable by a fine of up to $250. For possession of 200 grams or more, the penalty increases to a possible sentence of 6 months - one year in jail. Possession of 1,000 grams or more is punishable by 1 - 5 years in prison. Any possession of less than 5,000 grams does not carry the presumption of prison, which leaves available the possibility of probation. Possession of 5,000 grams of marijuana or more is punishable by 1 - 5 years in prison. For any amount or 20,000 grams or more the penalty increases to a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years in prison.
Click to expand...
 
J

jrockondamic

Member
vta said:
Ohio has some of the most liberal cannabis laws already. I think it has a good chance...especially since over 80% of voters support allowing cannabis for medical use and this would be a voter initiative. We shall see..
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I can speak to the fact that this is a myth. Ohio has some of the harshest laws in the Midwest in practical application. They weigh roots AND growing mediums in ohio grow busts (and it's stood). More importantly, essentially everyone caught with more than a few grams in Ohio is charged with intent to distribute, of which Ohio stands alone in the Midwest in terms of penalty as well as conviction rate.

I had the numbers handy to back that up on another hard drive, but I've lost it. Obviously, make of it what ya will.

Nonetheless, I've met more people in Ohio who smoke weed than anywhere else in the Midwest. Subjective measurement of course, but IMO "on the ground" marijuana legalization is incredibly popular in Ohio. The politicians would be making a politically savvy move in supporting this, even if their half-wit advisers tell them tales of "soft of crime" ads, etc.

I'm very hopeful, although I'd be slightly bitter if this shit went down literally just after I left. Ohio is an under-rated place to live overall.

Anyway, thanks for posting man. You are an incredible resource to this community.
 
I

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
this is some upbeat news, but as posted by jrock, there seems be enforcement which makes the soft laws not so soft
kind of surprised Ohio has voter initiatives, but good that they do
next door in NY, if we had voter initiatives(but we don't), the polling shows we would pass MMJ easy, well over 60% approval from the polls i've seen
which gives me some optimism that Ohio could be a big next step forward
 
D

darkstar270

Member
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/05/progressive_chairman_peter_b_l.html

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The movement to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio has been reignited.
Peter B. Lewis -- the billionaire chairman of Progressive Corp. and well-known medical marijuana advocate -- is seeking proposals to run a campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio. The issue would go on the ballot in 2012.
"We want to see what kind of proposals that come in and we'll proceed from there," said Graham Boyd, the former director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project and an adviser to Lewis.
While Democratic lawmakers have tried and failed in recent years to pass medical a marijuana law in Ohio, Lewis' latest inquiry represents a different tack.
By going directly to voters through a ballot initiative, Lewis and his supporters could circumvent a GOP-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who likely would oppose such a law.
"Obviously with his backing, and more importantly his dollars, that's the only way getting passage of this bill is going to happen in the state of Ohio," said Rep. Kenny Yuko, a Democrat from Richmond Heights who has introduced bills to legalize medical marijuana.
Lewis, whose company is based in Mayfield Village, is among the most wealthy, high-profile supporters of medical marijuana legalization. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, estimates that Lewis has contributed between $40 million and $60 million to the cause since the 1980s.
"No person on the face of this Earth has donated more money to reform marijuana laws than Peter B. Lewis," St. Pierre said.
9541399-small.jpg
Tony Dejak,
AP filePeter B. Lewis
The ballot initiative campaign Lewis is pursuing would include grassroots organizing, opinion research and advertising, according to a copy of his request for proposals. The campaign also would be designed to be a model for similar efforts in other states.
"Of the states that continue to prohibit medical use of marijuana, Ohio stands out as having particularly high levels of voter support," the request for proposals reads.
Indeed, an April 2009 Ohio Poll, conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati, found that 73 percent of Ohio adults favored allowing medical marijuana.
And putting the issue on the fall 2012 ballot, when President Obama runs for re-election, would be an advantage.
"It's more of a Democratic issue than a Republican issue and I think the Democrats are going to come out in full force" in 2012, Yuko said. "It's going to be a good position for our medical marijuana supporters to be in."
Medical marijuana is legal for qualified patients in 15 states, according to Lewis' request for proposals.
Legislation introduced last month in Ohio would permit medical marijuana use to treat diseases such as cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and sickle cell anemia.
A spokesman for House Speaker William G. Batchelder, a Republican from Medina, said the bill is not a high priority.
Boyd, Lewis' advisor, would not say whether similar proposals were being sought in other states. He said the proposals for a campaign in Ohio were sent to people who realistically would submit responses, which are due by May 15.
St. Pierre, of NORML, said the outcome of a ballot initiative in Ohio could reverberate throughout the Midwest.
"It's definitely a bellwether state -- both politically and culturally," St. Pierre said. "Whatever passes in Ohio will probably serve as a pretty good benchmark for the rest of middle America."
 
trichrider

trichrider

Kiss My Ring
Veteran
ohios arrest rates are 58% for drugs...no breakdown on which...but this is more than oklahomas...

see the fuckfests in my sig.

then again, when in nevada i thought that was the worst...so go figure.
 
C

compost

Member
vta said:
Ohio has some of the most liberal cannabis laws already. I think it has a good chance...especially since over 80% of voters support allowing cannabis for medical use and this would be a voter initiative. We shall see..
Click to expand...

Ohio may have liberal cannabis laws and 74% support but this state is weird. Cincinnati 5 years ago recriminalized cannabis possession of under 100 grams where you had to be arrested. The next few years they also tried to build a new jail from over crowding issues......


"When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." - This quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, but until the attribution can be verified, the quote should not be regarded as authentic.



 
D

darkstar270

Member
compost said:
Ohio may have liberal cannabis laws and 74% support but this state is weird. Cincinnati 5 years ago recriminalized cannabis possession of under 100 grams where you had to be arrested. The next few years they also tried to build a new jail from over crowding issues......
Click to expand...
That is f'd up! I can think of a few other Countys/Cities in OH That are like that, but some are more liberal about it. I guess it just depends on where you live. Sure is nice to have Mr. Lewis and his $ helping to fight the good fight though :)
 
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