Last week, details emerged about an ingenious scheme devised by former 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey and others. If a Nov. 3 statewide vote in Ohio went his way, he would be granted a completely legal monopoly on marijuana sales that stood to net him billions of dollars.
Now, the results are in — and it seems like Nick might have to continue cutting coupons and hosting “The Sing-Off.”
Strike one against Lachey’s kingpin dream came when Ohio voters shot down “State Issue 3,” which would have permitted “commercial production and sale of marijuana by what amounts to a monopoly in 10 locations around the state,” including his 29 acres outside Akron. The vote was nearly two-to-one against.
Strike two came when voters supported “State Issue 3,” which “raises a barrier for issues, including Issue 3, that create monopolies.” That vote won by a slimmer but no less effective margin. In other words: The only weed Lachey and his fellow farm-owning hopefuls will be growing in the near future is the one you have to kill with RoundUp.
“While I may not agree, the people of Ohio have spoken,” Lachey says in a tweet, referencing Ohio’s rebuke of marijuana legalization by a substantial margin. “And that’s the way it’s supposed to work.”
Back in April, when Lachey officially joined the “ResponsibleOhio” movement, he explained his support of the bill. “Passage of this proposal will result in much-needed economic development opportunities across Ohio, and update the state’s position on marijuana in a smart and safe way.”
Even with the defeat of the proposal, however, Lachey seems convinced that holding onto his farmland may still result in a windfall. “Change takes time,” he writes, alongside the hashtags #democracy and #respect.
