EATON — ResponsibleOhio’s Green Rush Bus Tour kicked off its 150-city tour in Eaton on Tuesday, Aug. 17, parking outside the post office on Main Street before moving to the Five Points Centre on North Barron Street. The bus was in Eaton for just under two hours.
“This first week, we are going a little bit of everywhere. We are hitting 20 college campuses on our bus tour, but school was not in yet so we are kind of just waiting to see what happens,” said Green Rush bus tour spokeswoman Haley Phillippi. “We are just trying to get our message out and let the people know that marijuana reform is coming to Ohio.”
The tour is designed to raise awareness about the Marijuana Legalization Amendment, which will be on the November ballot. The amendment proposes the legalization of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older.
ResponsibleOhio is hoping the legalization will create several jobs and tax dollars to Ohio, while also taking the streets back from drug dealers and ending senseless incarcerations.
Several people who oppose the bill have two big concerns – one being the safety of children and the other being the fear that the movement will create a monopoly, according to Phillippi.
“A lot of our opposition is worried about children. Our constitutional amendment imposes strict penalties on anyone who tries to sell to kids, edibles have childproof packaging. We are worried about the kids and we have an amendment that is safe,” said Phillippi. “There are also worries about monopoly. We’ve done our research and we know that limiting the number of growth facilities in Ohio is good for regulation and a good way to keep track of what is going on.”
In a press release sent to The Register-Herald after the bus tour’s visit, they stated that according to their projections, legalizing marijuana will be a multi-billion dollar industry that will bring $1,739,326 in new tax revenue per year to Preble County by the time the market stabilizes in 2020.
The projections were made by ResponsibleOhio and no source of how they came to that number was provided.
The tour also visited Greenville and Sidney on the day.
