Cleveland black leader Forbes backs legal pot

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

A proposal to legalize marijuana in Ohio has won the support of one of Cleveland’s most influential black leaders.

Former city council president George Forbes said in a statement Friday that he’s endorsing Issue 3 because blacks have been disproportionately affected by what he called a failed war on drugs. Forbes also is a past president of the Cleveland NAACP.

The proposed constitutional amendment would let adults 21 and older buy marijuana for medicinal or personal use and grow four plants. It creates a network of 10 authorized growing locations that have been targeted in a separate ballot measure prohibiting constitutional monopolies.

ResponsibleOhio, the campaign behind the legalization effort, announced Forbes’ endorsement along with those of three current city council members, Jeff Johnson, Ken Johnson and Mamie Mitchell.