COLUMBUS (AP) – The Ohio Chamber of Commerce says it’s strongly opposed to a marijuana legalization plan on the November ballot and will join a coalition seeking to get voters to defeat it.
The chamber’s president and CEO, Andy Doehrel, told reporters Wednesday that the pot proposal known as Issue 3 would cause uncertainty for businesses who drug test employees. He said members also were concerned about the effects it could have on workplace safety and employee productivity.
The group ResponsibleOhio, which backs Issue 3, said that employers could still maintain their rights to establish drug-free policies.
“We’re disappointed that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the organization charged with advocating for economic development in our great state, has chosen the path of fear mongering over the incredible opportunity we have to create a multi-billion dollar industry that could bring more than 10,000 jobs to Ohio,” ResponsibleOhio executive director Ian James said in a statement released after Doehrel’s announcement. “After Issue 3 passes in November, I’ll be interested to see if the Chamber still maintains the same principles and rejects the thousands of retail businesses and product manufacturers who could become members of their organization.”
The chamber endorsed Issue 2, a measure that seeks to ban monopolies from being added to the Ohio Constitution. It’s already backed Issue 1, which would overhaul the way Ohio draws state legislative districts.