Daniel Winston (D)

2020 Voter Guide Questionnaire

1. Do you support or oppose changing state law to allow adults 21 and older to possess limited amounts of marijuana and establishing a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol? Under such a system, it would remain illegal to consume marijuana in public and drive under the influence of marijuana.

I support full legalization. As an African-American man, I have a unique understanding of the racist roots tied to cannabis prohibition. I have watched as privatized prisons have become the new form of institutionalized racism, proceeding segregation. According to an ACLU study, despite equal usage among both races, African-Americans were three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than someone who is Caucasian. I believe legalization would bring about the reform we truly need. Reform we need for our most at-risk communities to help solve the opioid crisis and bring about imperative tax revenue for our state.

2. Other states which legalized medical cannabis around the same time as Ohio have programs that are further ahead and functioning much better than Ohio’s. The patients of Ohio have expressed concerns and are generally dissatisfied with the program. Can the patients count on you to spend time on making improvements to the medical marijuana program?

Yes, they can count on me. Southern Columbiana County is home to a dispensary which serves the greater East Liverpool area. I see the good the program has done and would be committed to its improvement. As long as those improvements are beneficial for patients first.

3. If an amendment to H.B.523 were proposed that would allow patients and/or caregivers to grow a limited amount of plants in their home, would you support or oppose the amendment?

Cannabis is a plant and natural medicine that never should have been criminalized in the first place. I would support the regulation of patient home grow for personal use within in our state.

4. If introduced, would you oppose a resolution that would make the citizen ballot initiative process more difficult than it already is?

Making the ballot initiative process harder for grassroots campaigns is the exact opposite of the democracy I hope to champion. While I am supportive of checks and balances, I am not supportive of politicalized voter suppression.