Local reps split on marijuana law

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Local leaders are split in their support of legalizing marijuana.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, announced his support for legalizing marijuana Friday.

Ryan is a co-sponsor of H.R. 4815, the Marijuana Justice Act of 2018 that would remove marijuana from Schedule 1 and eliminate criminal penalties for its possession and use.

“We have ignored the social and economic toll of our marijuana laws for too long,” Ryan said in a statement. “I believe no person should be sentenced to a lifetime of hardship because of a marijuana arrest. It is morally wrong, economically nonsensical, and an unnecessary strain on our already strained law enforcement officials.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, said: “Tim and I work together on many issues where we agree to improve the quality of life for the people of the Mahoning Valley, but legalizing marijuana is not going to be one of them.”

Read more about the matter in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.