AKRON, Ohio – Kathy Stitzlein isn't saying which way she'll vote on Issue 3 – the initiative that would, in one fell swoop, legalize recreational and medical marijuana use in Ohio – but the University of Akron Ph.D. student could have key business stake in how the measure plays out across the state come November.

Stitzlein, who is studying biomedical engineering, has invented the marijuana equivalent of the Breathalyzer, a detection system that is being made for roadside use. The Cannibuster, as it's called, is still being lab-tested but would ultimately read a user's THC levels, the chemical responsible for pot's psychoactive effects, using a quick, non-invasive saliva test.'

It all started, she said, as an extra-credit assignment.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Amid Ohio’s intensifying campaign over legalizing marijuana, the face of Issue 3 is a green-eyed 4-year-old girl named Addyson Benton, who is learning to handle her Barbie trike.

“That’s the goal for this year, to get her to ride,” said Heather Benton, standing in the backyard of the rental house as Addyson slid into the seat, lifted her sunny face and beamed. “But it’s one thing at a time.”

Apeks Supercritical is growing so fast supplying the marijuana industry in other states that it may have to start building an expansion by spring on its Licking County factory that opened just this year.

With the continued discussion regarding the legalization of marijuana, I felt compelled to present some information regarding the enforcement of marijuana laws, position of law enforcement on legalization, and the cost of enforcement. 

New Frontier’s team takes an in depth dive into ResponsibleOhio’s approach to legalization and assesses the viability of the proposal, as well as, the potential outcome for the market. ResponsibleOhio projects that by 2020 Ohio will see $2.26 billion in retail sales.  New Frontier assessed the plan and came back with a projection of $1.88 billion by 2020. This report looks at the key factors that will have a direct bearing on the success of Ohio’s ballot initiative to legalize:

 ·         10 producer limit is a poison pill for legalization supporters

·         Ohio would be first state to pass recreational marijuana without first passing medical

Our opponents had always claimed that if we legalize marijuana, the sky would fall. However, this appeared not to affect support for legalization: the percent supporting legalization via Issue 3 (55 percent) is very close to the percent that support legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Ohio would make history by OK-ing both at the same time. ResponsibleOhio, the Issue 3 campaign, countered that “monopoly” wasn’t accurate, as “mono” means “one” and there are ten competing properties with ten different owners that would grow marijuana under the plan. Those suffering with cancer, Alzheimer’s, veterans with PTSD, children with epilepsy and so many other Ohioans with chronic illnesses will have the opportunity to find relief.

This November, Ohio voters will have the opportunity to vote on The Ohio Marijuana Legalization Initiative, Issue 3. If passed, Ohio will be the fifth state, the first in the Midwest, to legalize cannabis for recreational use.

Cannabis advocates have created a monster, and its name is Buddie.

The green cannabis bud with a cool smile, six-pack abs and a cape is for campaigners the walking advertisement for Responsible Ohio, an initiative on the November ballot to legalize pot in the state.

But to many marijuana legalization advocates, Buddie represents an unsettling shift in power, out of the hands of the traditional policy movement and into those of green-eyed newcomers clamoring to be part of a burgeoning profitable industry.

COLUMBUS - Television personality Montel Williams says patients who need medical marijuana are in the middle of a political battlefield and the only answer is legalizing the drug.

"There is zero reasons why it’s not legal," said Williams, who uses medical marijuana to treat his multiple sclerosis. "For those who need access to medication, how dare we stand in the middle?"

CLEVELAND - In two weeks, you will decide at the polls whether to legalize marijuana in Ohio.

So, do you know exactly what you'll be deciding?

Supporters say a "yes" vote means you'll be voting to control what's already here.

"Marijuana prohibition has failed," says Ian James, the Executive Director of Responsible Ohio, the group behind the legalization push.

"You can get marijuana delivered to your door faster than you can a pizza," he says, "so we need to regulate, test, and tax marijuana.

But opponents says legalization would increase use of pot among teens, and lead to more people being addicted to drugs.

And they also question the way the proposal would limit who could grow pot for legal sale in Ohio.