Thursday, Dec. 7, is the date when Ohio's new abortion rights amendment takes effect and when recreational marijuana becomes legal in Ohio. We'll discuss what conservative lawmakers have planned for with Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler.
The will of the people
Dec. 7 is a day that will live in infamy— because of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack—and this year, it infamously marks the day when the actions of Ohio voters override the wishes or inaction of the Ohio Legislature.
Voters approved both the abortion rights amendment and the initiated statute on marijuana by 14-point margins earlier this month.
Lawmakers cannot change the amendment without returning it to the voters, but they can tinker with or outright scrap the 'Marijuana for Fun!' law.
However, there are precious few days left for them to do so if they wish. Some ideas include adjusting limits to the potency of marijuana, prohibiting use in public places, changing the tax rate and where the revenues would go and allowing local communities to use "home rule" to ban marijuana sales.
Meanwhile, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy has ordered lawyers for the state and a group of abortion clinics to tell the court how they believe the amendment's passage affects the so-called Heartbeat Law, which is on hold.
Snollygoster of the week
State Rep. Brent Hillyer and members of the Ohio House recently voted to prevent Ohio from banning gas-only car sales. The bill would prohibit the state from demanding vehicles sold in Ohio to meet clean air standards that are tougher than federal requirements. And it would keep the state from adopting the California emission standard which bans gas-powered cars by 2035.
Of course, no one is realistically talking about banning gas-powered cars in the state.
If you have a suggestion for our "Snollygoster of the Week" award, a question or a comment, send them to snollygoster@wosu.org.