But what would be the human cost?

https://tinyurl.com/zynfxcc

https://tinyurl.com/4nbuxpvb

Other studies show that link between pot use and schizophrenia is stronger in young men than in women.

This preliminary but rather strong evidence reminds me of the early days of studies showing a potential link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. It was pretty clear that there was a casual link, but it took decades to prove that it wasn't just association (correlation) but actual causation. Caution would be wise.

And, if pot is legalized, you'll find more usage not less. You'll have billboards and other advertising all over the state encouraging its use. If you doubt that, look at Michigan! I'm trusting Ohioans are smarter than Michiganders. I guess we'll soon find out.

This is a “free country” if an adult wants to grow a plant and smoke it they have every right to do so. People know the risk ahead of time. Don’t see how alcohol is legal with all of its negative impacts and pot isn’t. Michigan is making a bunch of money off its legalization while Ohioans get locked up and are missing out on a bunch of tax money the state could benefit from. I can go to the corner store now and buy a bunch of sketchy off brand weed products like delta 8 and others that I don’t know where it comes from or how it’s grown where as if it was legalized could buy seeds and grow it myself in my backyard. The government shouldn’t be able to control what seeds i buy or what plant I grow on my property.

Here's a little different perspective on the financial benefits of legalizing
pot.

When NJ legalized recreational pot, all the towns in the North Jersey , where I live, thought it would be a tax windfall.

So, they were quick to approve dispensaries.

Didn't quite work out that way.

When the first pot dispensaries opened, there were very long lines.
The ones on highways needed to hire off duty police to control the
traffic. Not any more.

As more dispensaries opened, the market got "diluted".

Towns were also told that, once the "newness" wore off, that is , the ability to buy pot legally, people would go back to buying their pot "on the street", since it was LOT cheaper.

That's exactly what happened.

A lot of the dispensaries are struggling and tax revenues have dropped.

If you get picked up with pot, the police don't ask where you bought it.
All they care about is the weight.

About the only thing that does seem to still be selling well from the dispensaries are "edibles".

Now ,a few entrepreneurs are trying to get approvals to convert unused warehouse
space to indoor cultivating.

There's not enough open land to even consider growing outdoors.

I wasn't talking about state tax revenue.

All I know is that the towns in North Jersey, where I live, that allowed dispensaries ,have said that, except in the very beginning, they haven't seen anywhere near the tax revenue they anticipated.

Like I posted, because of all the taxes, regulations etc., buying pot in a dispensary costs several times more then you can buy it "on the street".

It might help sales if they took credit cards.
But the don't.
Cash only, although a few may take a debit card.

Maybe they are just growing it themselves. Why buy tomatoes at the store if you can grow your own.

So it’s not illegal because it’s bad for you. It’s illegal so a few group of people or a monopoly can make money off it and the government can tax its sales. Sounds corrupt and like organized crime. What a joke. Imagine if you couldn’t grow tomatoes at home just so the government can tax it and not allow you to be a self sufficient person.

First thing they should do on the federal level is open the banking system to regulated pot growers. A lot of the crime associated with the industry involves the amount of cash stored at businesses because banks can't legally handle the cash. Many growers have been robbed because they can't make deposits at banks that are part of the federal system. A few credit unions and some smaller banks will take their business but they're not in every state and are often located too far away to be useful.