"As of October 10th of this year, there have been nearly six hundred accidental exposures of marijuana to children in Ohio twelve years old and under," says Bishop Sylvester Ginn, one of the clergy cosigners of the letter. "These accidental exposures have gone sky high, with three-fourths of those cases involving children under the age of five. As faith leaders, we find it detestable when people with the power to minimize this evil (marijuana), dismiss this toxic poisoning and corruption of our youth," Ginn said. Earlier this summer nearby Mansfield voted against a moratorium.

In the letter, eight lead clergymen urged the City Council to "VOTE YES" to the moratorium prohibiting commercial cannabis. Historically the faith community has gone on record opposing the legalization of marijuana. Leading clergy have repeatedly warned about the dangers of increasing the availability of marijuana to vulnerable addicts and young children. Of particular note, the clergy consider Ontario a prominent jurisdiction since it is considered the "Commerce Capital" of North Central Ohio.

After doing a third reading, Ontario City Council voted to pass the ordinance "imposing a moratorium indefinitely on the acceptance, consideration, and/or granting of any applications for local licensing, approval, and/or any zoning, occupancy, or other permits relating to cultivators, processors, or retail dispensaries of marijuana within the City of Ontario, and declaring an emergency." (Screengrab image: via Frontlines Ohio)

In the letter, the faith leaders brought up an incident in March 2017 when four Ontario students were suspended and three faced expulsions for their involvement in the distribution of cannabis cookies. "Allowing the Marijuana Industry into our community will increase accessibility to this harmful substance, and increase juvenile delinquency," the clergy said in their letter.

Ontario School Superintendent Keith Strickler and School Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Cathleen Johnson also sent letters to City Council supporting the moratorium. The School Boards of both Clear Fork Valley and Mansfield Christian have previously both publicly called for the prohibition of commercial cannabis.

According to some professionals, the increase in child exposures to marijuana is no accident. The Medical Director at the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center says the increase in infant exposures to THC edibles coincide with the legalizations of both medical and recreational marijuana. This past Spring the Director of Richland County Children Services stated that based on local data, she believes marijuana legalization will result in the increase in parent drug abuse investigations. Veterinarians are also seeing an alarming trend of pet exposures to marijuana.

The 2024 Drug Enforcement Agency's National Drug Threat Assessment cites a report showing the potency of the psychoactive THC ingredient in marijuana that is skyrocketing; increasing the potential risk of negative effects on users.

At the October 16th council meeting, Pastor Mark Lehman, an Ontario resident, encouraged Ontario City Council to be great leaders and not limited representatives. "Without a doubt, a brothel and casino in Marshall Field would fill the city coffers, but it would not be in the best interests of the people," Lehman said. "Giving the people what they want is not good leadership. The more salient question is, what would a great leader do? A great leader would do what is morally right for the citizens, and that would be supporting this moratorium on marijuana."

Ontario now joins Shelby and Lexington prohibiting commercial marijuana inside Richland County. Thirteen out of eighteen townships in Richland also prohibit commercial marijuana. The Village of Bellville has a moratorium that expires in January 9th, 2025.

Local clergy cosigners of the letter included: Les Vnasdale, Joe Smith, Jack Williams, Steve Burkhalter, Sylvester Ginn, William Hallbrook, Ken Ginter, and Diego Sandino. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

The Bottom Line:

The Bible says in Matthew 18, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in Heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in Heaven."

Click Here and scroll down to view a report from WLWT in Cincinnati of an 8 year-old child who consumed THC gummies on a school bus and became unresponsive.

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