An attack on reefer madness?

It’s no accident that Ohio Auditor Dave Yost keeps using the words “marijuana cartel” to describe the 10 investment groups that aim to have a monopoly on the large-scale production of pot in the state.

Yost, a Republican who has shown a willingness to target entrenched political interests since taking office in 2011, is going all out to prevent the state constitution from being used to advance the economic interests of a select few.

A constitutional amendment is being proposed that would not only legalize marijuana in Ohio but would permit only 10 large-scale farms.

Thus, every time Yost talks about the “marijuana cartel,” his goal is to plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of the residents of Ohio.

Drug lords

And what better way to do that than to raise the specter of a group of drug lords controlling the billion-dollar-plus industry. Yost’s use of the word “cartel” is intentional. As a former journalist, he knows that if you want to grab the attention of the public, you’ve got to have a few buzz words in your verbal arsenal.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, the word “cartel” should bring to mind the globally famous South American drug families, especially the Cali Cartel of Colombia.

Indeed, the state auditor goes a step further when he talks about the 10 investment groups that would be licensed by the state to grow marijuana on a major scale: He says it’s unconscionable that there hasn’t been a criminal background check of each of the individuals who have a financial stake in what is being touted as an industry that would be even bigger than oil and gas fracking.

Yost presents a compelling case for such background checks by pointing out that in Ohio a person cannot even own a bar without first being given a clean bill of (criminal) health.

Finally, the state auditor, a former county prosecutor, is determined not to let the name of the entity that’s pushing the constitutional amendment lull voters into a false sense of trust.

ResponsibleOhio, which is spearheading the petition drive to place the marijuana legalization issue on the November general election ballot, is the veil under which a small group of individuals will be enriched – at the expense of the people of Ohio, Yost contends.

“It’s offensive to me that they’re abusing the power of the law to benefit a few,” he said last week during a meeting with Vindicator writers.

If the constitutional amendment is approved – there’s little doubt that ResponsibleOhio will meet the July 1 deadline to secure the 305,591 petition signatures to place the issue on the ballot – the 10 investment groups would be “using the force of law to limit the marketplace.”

It should be noted that Yost isn’t opposed to the legalization of cannabis if it’s used for medicinal purposes. He just does not believe there’s any benefit to be derived from Ohio following in Colorado’s footsteps.

And so, the state auditor has come up with a plan that, if successful, would short-circuit ResponsibleOhio’s endeavor. He has asked the Republican- controlled General Assembly to enact legislation that would place on the November ballot a constitutional amendment that is designed to suck the wind out of ResponsibleOhio’s sails.

The effect of the Yost’s proposal would be to prevent the constitution from being “hijacked” by private economic interests, such as the 10 marijuana investment groups.

It remains to be seen if the GOP-dominated General Assembly shares the Republican auditor’s aversion to monied interests trespassing on an avenue originally designed to give the people a direct say in government – the initiative petition.

State commission

Not surprisingly, the organizers of ResponsibleOhio bristle at any suggestion that what they’re creating is a drug cartel. They point out that an independent state commission will oversee the marijuana industry and will govern the behavior of the 10 investment groups.

The organizers also say that even a hint of collusion could result in the state licenses being withdrawn.

So, who are these individuals who are kicking in millions of dollars in the push to legalize pot? As the campaign picks up steam, the list of all the investors will be made public by the press.

Meanwhile, here’s a toke: Nanette Lepore of New York City, sister of state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan (she succeeded her husband, Robert, in the House), is an investor.