Nick Lachey Really Hopes Marijuana Becomes Legal in Ohio

Cincinnati native Nick Lachey has been a musician as part of boy band 98 Degrees, the star of multiple reality shows, a restaurateur, a TV host, and probably some other stuff—and if the citizens of Ohio pass a proposed marijuana legalization bill on Nov. 3, 2015, he’ll be able to add marijuana kingpin (and maybe billionaire) to his resume.

If the Ohio measure passes, only 10 farms will be legally permitted to grow marijuana, and according to The Washington Post, Lachey is an investor in one of them. Specifically, 29-acres outside Akron. With over a thousand state-regulated marijuana retailers and only 10 farms to buy from, it’s estimated that Lachey’s property could be selling about $1 billion worth of product within four years.

The story gets pretty complicated, actually. It seems as though the legalized marijuana movement in Ohio has been kind of pushed along and hijacked by investors like Lachey, masterminded by a guy named James Gould who had the idea of building the whole “only ten farms get to grow and distribute marijuana” part into the bill.

Many Ohio natives see this move as a kind of unscrupulous ploy to develop a state mandated monopoly on marijuana, and a group calling themselves Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies has gained some traction in the state. In fact, when Ohio voters go to the polls on Nov. 3, they’ll be voting for not just legalized weed, but also for whether their state constitution should be allowed to grant someone a monopoly.

Which has got to be weird, if you’re Nick Lachey, because it is very possible that voters will say yes to marijuana and no to monopolies, which would then mean that his co-ownership in this farm would be worth, what, a paltry couple million dollars a year?

Why even bother?

In an interview with Cincinnati.com, Lachey said, “I’m a Cincinnati homeowner, a family man and a business owner. I care deeply about the future of this state and the wonderful people who live here. These are reforms that will make our communities stronger and safer by providing job opportunities and updating the state’s position on marijuana sentencing in a smart and effective way. Next week, you have a chance to make a difference in our state. By voting Yes … you will be helping to create tens of thousands of permanent jobs and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue each year. It’s about moving the state of Ohio forward, and that’s what this initiative will do.”

Oh, so it’s really more about doing what is right for the people of Ohio and generating tax revenue for the state. That’s cool. Nick Lachey seems like a really good guy.

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