Time to legalize marijuana in Ohio is now, Mayor Cranley says

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Cincinnati Enquirer) - The time is now for Ohio to legalize marijuana, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said.

Mayor Cranley, a Democrat who is running for Ohio governor in 2022, tweeted his support for the legalization on Thursday.

He said the tax revenue from marijuana could be used to rebuild roads and even fund public education.

If we legalized marijuana we could invest that tax revenue right back into our communities. We could rebuild our roads and fund public education. We could expand healthcare for our communities.

It's time we legalize marijuana in Ohio.
— John Cranley (@JohnCranley) July 15, 2021

This is the second time in two months Mayor Cranley has voiced his support for legalizing marijuana.

Back in mid-May, he wrote on Twitter marijuana can be regulated like alcohol.

Again, he said the tax revenue would go back to the schools and communities.

The majority of Ohioans know it's time to legalize marijuana and expunge the records. We can regulate it like alcohol and use the tax revenue to reinvest right here in our schools, healthcare, and communities.
— John Cranley (@JohnCranley) May 18, 2021

According to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer, state Democrats introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize recreational marijuana cultivation and sales.

Democratic Reps. Casey Weinstein of Hudson and Terrence Upchurch of Cleveland have drafted a bill to legalize cultivation – personal and commercial – and regulate sales, as well as allow people previously convicted of low-level marijuana crimes to have their records sealed, the Enquirer reports.

Medical marijuana is legal in Ohio.

About two months ago, the State Medical Board of Ohio expanded the list of qualifying medical conditions for someone to get a medical marijuana card.

Ohio approves 3 existing conditions for medical marijuana use

Under Ohio law, the qualifying medical conditions include all of the following: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic migraines, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, complex regional pain syndrome, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis.

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Copyright 2021 WXIX. The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this article. All rights reserved.