WARREN, Ohio - A proposal before voters to legalize recreational marijuana use in Ohio is meeting with opposition from the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, claiming its use can be a gateway to other drugs.

The board on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution opposing Issue Two, which will allow voters in November to vote on commercializing, regulating, legalizing, and taxing the adult use of cannabis.

Citing a finding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that there are risks for people who use marijuana, the resolution states that people can become addicted to marijuana.

According to the board’s resolution, approximately 1 in 10 people who use marijuana will become addicted, and when they start before age 18, the rate of addiction rises to 1 in 6.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration claims that marijuana use can have negative and long-term effects including mental health issues, coordination issues, and impaired driving.

The resolution states that early marijuana use can lead to the use of other drugs, noting that Ohio leads the nation in opioid deaths.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is behind Issue Two, notes that twenty-three states across the nation have already enacted measures to regulate marijuana for adult use.

Coalition spokesman Tom Haren says implementing practices learned from the states that already regulate marijuana sales, the statute would authorize the Department of Commerce to regulate the industry and impose a new 10% tax on adult-use marijuana sales.

The text of the ballot issue may be read below: