By Megan Alley
Sun staff

A June report put out by the Marijuana Policies of Ohio Taskforce aims to provide unbiased information about Ohio’s marijuana policies and laws.

The MPOT is chaired by Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

“As a county prosecutor, I have seen firsthand how ineffective, inefficient and sometimes harmful our current marijuana laws are,” Deters wrote in the report. “Ohio cannot afford to make decisions about marijuana policy and law based on unsubstantiated and often unsupported talk on both sides of the issue.”

He added, “Ohioans need and deserve an honest and in-depth assessment of the positive and negative impacts that ending marijuana prohibition may have, so they can make up their own minds.”

“This is a report on what would happen if Responsible Ohio’s amendment passed and future amendments were successful,” David Little, a communications consultant for the MPOT, said. “Having a benchmark study that lays out economic, health, medical ,and administrative details and projections would be a sound move if you are going to change [policy].”

The proposed constitutional amendment drafted by Responsible Ohio will legalize the personal and medical use of marijuana and marijuana-infused products in Ohio, according to the report.

“No one anticipates competing initiatives to make the ballot in 2015 or 2016,” Little said.

The report, which was commissioned earlier this year, was introduced on June 11 at The Ohio State University Press in Columbus.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Little said. “The public is interested in the issue and they see a professional study as beneficial [because it] points out the pros and cons of the amendment. It does not support or endorse.”

If the Responsible Ohio amendment passes, Little said the taskforce will continue to gather, refine and define information.

“Working with the task force, I have taken no personal stance on the issue,” Little said. “This report is a benchmark for some things that would happen regardless if the Responsible Ohio amendment passes or not.”

He added, “There is an understanding across the state that [marijuana legalization] will be on the ballot, and there will be some change in the future regarding this legislation in all the states.”

More information about MPOT, and directions to download the report, can be found at www.mpotf.org.