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The Cleveland Leader learned exclusively on Thursday evening that Ohio Rights Group President John Pardee will formally announce his resignation in a press release to be dispersed to the media on Monday morning. Carlis McDerment, a former Fairfield County Sheriff's Deputy, will be the new leader of the group that seeks to legalize medical marijuana in the Buckeye State.
As the leader of ORG, Pardee had come under fire from activists after he signed a non-disclosure agreement, a move that many felt was underhanded. Under his leadership, Ohio Rights Group has gathered roughly 150,000 unverified signatures and has created the most advanced network to legalize marijuana that the state has ever seen.
Pardee revealed in an interview with the Leader:
"I feel it is best for the movement if I step aside as President and assume a new role in Ohio Rights Group. Carlis McDerment is an unimpeachable advocate of medical Marijuana and will help lead Ohio Rights Group forward."
He said that his decision to step down as president was in part due to the stress that was associated with the position, and conceded during our meeting Thursday night that organizational skills were another of his shortcomings. Although he will be stepping down as president, Pardee won't be abandoning ORG completely. He will continue to work with Ohio Rights Group in an unspecified position going forward.
Obtaining the required number of signatures to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot is a massive undertaking. At this time last year, it appeared as though ORG was on pace to collect the needed signatures to get on the November ballot, which had been the group's goal. The effort stalled, and in July the group announced that it wasn't ready to place the amendment issue on the ballot. To have collected over 100,000 signatures with minimal funding and volunteers is still commendable.
According to Pardee, the group is close to the finish line. He says that signature gathering professionals have said that roughly $500,000 in capital would be needed to surpass the 312,000 valid signatures required to get an amendment on the ballot. Initial estimates at the beginning of ORG's formation were $2.4 million, but this has gone down significantly because they've already collected a number of signatures. Going forward, the biggest challenge will be to rekindle the momentum that the group had been gaining before dissension and mistrust began to set in.
The landscape of Ohio marijuana initiatives has changed rapidly in the past month, with two new groups having launched seeking full legalization of the drug. Responsible Ohio aims to get on the 2015 ballot, while Ohioans to End Prohibition has begun drafting an amendment that they hope to get on the 2016 ballot.
As Pardee steps down as the president of Ohio Rights Group, a new leader will take over the reins. That leader is Carlis McDerment, a former sheriff's deputy who is a member of NORML and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who has spoken extensively on legalizing the drug and has a unique perspective as a former law enforcement officer.
McDerment grew up in the Columbus, Ohio, area and became interested in law enforcement because of the cop shows he watched in the 1970s during his youth. He later pursued a career in law enforcement, eventually spending ten years as a Deputy Sheriff. During this time, working in the jail and on patrol, McDerment has said that he saw first hand just how much of "catastrophic" failures our drug policies are on many levels, including public safety, police safety, economic, and targeting sick people with health problems.
McDerment has pointed out that the financial costs of marijuana prohibition have been astounding. He also has been quoted as stating:
I found through all the arrests I made of people dealing marijuana, heroin, prescription narcotics, and meth I stopped nothing. Law enforcement and the judicial system cannot handle the problem; only legalization and regulation can handle the problem."
A change of leadership could potentially breathe some new life into Ohio Rights Group, which as been floundering ever since it failed to obtain enough signatures to get on the ballot last year. And if that's the case, they'd have a significant leg up on the other two groups - Responsible Ohio and Ohioans to End Prohibition - with the signatures they've acquired already. Having a former law enforcement officer like McDerment at the helm could also help the group to persuade those more hesitant to embrace the legalization of marijuana in Ohio. ORG is now eying up 2016 as a favorable time to get their amendment on the ballot.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Ohio Rights Group President to Step Down as Group Eyes 2016 to Get Marijuana Legalization Amendment on Ballot | Cleveland Leader
Author: Eugene McCormick
Contact: Contact | Cleveland Leader
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Cleveland Leader | Cleveland News & More!
As the leader of ORG, Pardee had come under fire from activists after he signed a non-disclosure agreement, a move that many felt was underhanded. Under his leadership, Ohio Rights Group has gathered roughly 150,000 unverified signatures and has created the most advanced network to legalize marijuana that the state has ever seen.
Pardee revealed in an interview with the Leader:
"I feel it is best for the movement if I step aside as President and assume a new role in Ohio Rights Group. Carlis McDerment is an unimpeachable advocate of medical Marijuana and will help lead Ohio Rights Group forward."
He said that his decision to step down as president was in part due to the stress that was associated with the position, and conceded during our meeting Thursday night that organizational skills were another of his shortcomings. Although he will be stepping down as president, Pardee won't be abandoning ORG completely. He will continue to work with Ohio Rights Group in an unspecified position going forward.
Obtaining the required number of signatures to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot is a massive undertaking. At this time last year, it appeared as though ORG was on pace to collect the needed signatures to get on the November ballot, which had been the group's goal. The effort stalled, and in July the group announced that it wasn't ready to place the amendment issue on the ballot. To have collected over 100,000 signatures with minimal funding and volunteers is still commendable.
According to Pardee, the group is close to the finish line. He says that signature gathering professionals have said that roughly $500,000 in capital would be needed to surpass the 312,000 valid signatures required to get an amendment on the ballot. Initial estimates at the beginning of ORG's formation were $2.4 million, but this has gone down significantly because they've already collected a number of signatures. Going forward, the biggest challenge will be to rekindle the momentum that the group had been gaining before dissension and mistrust began to set in.
The landscape of Ohio marijuana initiatives has changed rapidly in the past month, with two new groups having launched seeking full legalization of the drug. Responsible Ohio aims to get on the 2015 ballot, while Ohioans to End Prohibition has begun drafting an amendment that they hope to get on the 2016 ballot.
As Pardee steps down as the president of Ohio Rights Group, a new leader will take over the reins. That leader is Carlis McDerment, a former sheriff's deputy who is a member of NORML and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who has spoken extensively on legalizing the drug and has a unique perspective as a former law enforcement officer.
McDerment grew up in the Columbus, Ohio, area and became interested in law enforcement because of the cop shows he watched in the 1970s during his youth. He later pursued a career in law enforcement, eventually spending ten years as a Deputy Sheriff. During this time, working in the jail and on patrol, McDerment has said that he saw first hand just how much of "catastrophic" failures our drug policies are on many levels, including public safety, police safety, economic, and targeting sick people with health problems.
McDerment has pointed out that the financial costs of marijuana prohibition have been astounding. He also has been quoted as stating:
I found through all the arrests I made of people dealing marijuana, heroin, prescription narcotics, and meth I stopped nothing. Law enforcement and the judicial system cannot handle the problem; only legalization and regulation can handle the problem."
A change of leadership could potentially breathe some new life into Ohio Rights Group, which as been floundering ever since it failed to obtain enough signatures to get on the ballot last year. And if that's the case, they'd have a significant leg up on the other two groups - Responsible Ohio and Ohioans to End Prohibition - with the signatures they've acquired already. Having a former law enforcement officer like McDerment at the helm could also help the group to persuade those more hesitant to embrace the legalization of marijuana in Ohio. ORG is now eying up 2016 as a favorable time to get their amendment on the ballot.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Ohio Rights Group President to Step Down as Group Eyes 2016 to Get Marijuana Legalization Amendment on Ballot | Cleveland Leader
Author: Eugene McCormick
Contact: Contact | Cleveland Leader
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Cleveland Leader | Cleveland News & More!
