Gov. Mike DeWine gets F in marijuana policy report card

Mike DeWine, Nan Whaley

NORML - the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws - gave Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine an F in its 2020 Gubernatorial Scorecard, which looks at U.S. governors’ comments and voting records in 2019 in marijuana policy. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Marijuana legalization advocates are not too high on Gov. Mike DeWine.

NORML - the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws - gave Ohio’s Republican governor an F in its 2020 Gubernatorial Scorecard, which looks at U.S. governors’ comments and voting records in 2019 in marijuana policy.

NORML dinged DeWine for his long opposition of the legalization of recreational marijuana. In 2019, after Michigan legalized recreational marijuana and Illinois was about to begin recreational sales, DeWine was asked if his position had at all softened.

“It would really be a mistake for Ohio, by legislation, to say that marijuana for adults is just OK," he told the Statehouse News Bureau.

It’s hazy whether DeWine thinks his grade is dope.

“Our office respectfully declines comment,” said Dan Tierney, his spokesman.

Ohioans have been able to purchase medical marijuana for the last year, but DeWine hasn’t had any bills from the legislature to sign regarding the program.

DeWine joins seven other governors who received Fs -- including Govs. Brad Little of Idaho, Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Bill Lee of Tennessee and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.

All the governors are Republicans, the scorecard said.

Eight state governors received As.

They’re all Democrats and many are in states with recreational marijuana: Govs. Jared Polis of Colorado, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Janet Mills of Maine, Steve Sisolak of Nevada, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Andrew Cuomo of New York, Kate Brown of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington.

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Ohio medical marijuana 1 year in: What you need to know about successes, struggles of the state’s program

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