"We are thankful for the council majority who voted to prohibit mind-altering marijuana," says Pastor J.C. Church, one of the key clergy voices supporting the commercial ban. "To GOD be the glory!"

Prior to the May elections, Pastor Church was part of a group of local faith leaders who wrote an open letter supporting the prohibition of the psychoactive drug. "We want Crestline to remain a family-friendly town and to not go off the rails," the letter said. "We want to send a signal to Village Council that marijuana should not be normalized. As nine area lead clergymen, we encourage Crestline voters on Tuesday, May 6th to 'VOTE NO' and oppose commercial marijuana," the faith leaders wrote.

For the May 6th advisory vote to prohibit, the Crawford County Board of Elections reported a majority 265 Crestline voters voted against allowing cannabis dispensaries inside Village limits. The margin of victory against cannabis was 51-49%, with three of the four precincts voting against the measure. The final tally was more than the votes in favor of the fire and ambulance levy. After the advisory election, it was Village Council's turn the next month to formally vote on prohibition.

With Village Council deadlocked at 3, Mayor Linda Horning-Pitt cast the deciding vote by supporting prohibition. Council members Mike Weisman, Kimberly Bauer-Gonzales, and Kevin Eckert voted to prohibit, while the losing minority going against the election results were: Garrett Looney, Beverly Payne, and Cheryl Downey. It is believed 2 of the 3 councilmembers who supported weed will not be seeking re-election.

Although Ohioans voted to legalize marijuana in 2023, a majority 53% of Crawford County voters opposed the legalization of marijuana. According to Chapter 3780.25 of the Ohio Revised Code, the only legal remedy local jurisdictions have is for municipalities and townships to prohibit commercial marijuana facilities.

The new village ordinance says, "No person shall with the jurisdictional boundaries of the Village of Crestline cultivate, process or engage in the retail sale of adult-use cannabis or marijuana for medical purposes whether licensed by the State of Ohio or otherwise." Anyone guilty of this violation commits a first-degree misdemeanor.

The clergy were able to flip Crestline in favor of prohibiting mind-altering marijuana. Previously Crestline voters supported legalizing recreational marijuana in the November 2023 general election. Pastor Church believes after one year of legalization, the voters were seeing marijuana without the smoke and mirrors; for what it really was.

"In the aftermath of the state legalization in 2023, voters saw a number of negative consequences marijuana is bringing to society, like cannabis-induced psychosis. We were able to see the wheat from the tares. As a result, people were able to make a more informed vote to prohibit it," says Church.

The Bottom Line:

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

View the video produced by Texas Pictures Documentaries on cannabis-induced psychosis from the viewpoint of a certified emergency responder [Click Here and scroll down]. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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