FOSTORIA, Ohio — People in Fostoria can now possess up to 200 grams of marijuana and not face any fine, jail time or have it put on their criminal record. One Fostoria council member has been working toward this for years.
Fostoria council member-at-large Ed Logsdon spent years living in Colorado before moving back to his hometown. For the last couple of years, he's tried to get cannabis laws similar to Colorado's passed here.
"When the laws changed there, I watched the whole thing happen," Logsdon said. "Over the years, first it was medical (marijuana) that was approved, then it was full recreational approval. There was no mayhem, there was no chaos. It was no mess in the streets."
Logsdon also said the laws in Fostoria have been used to target people of color more often.
"There were a lot of conditions in there that I felt were onerous, and used specifically against people who didn't look like me," Logsdon said.
Fostoria resident Evan King said the new laws let police focus on other, more violent offenders.
"I think it's pretty great for the (city) and everything because we can go without the jail time," King said. "The space is limited to the real, actual criminals in jail."
Now that the ordinances passed, Logsdon wants to make clear this doesn't make marijuana legal to consume on the street.
"No, people aren't going to be walking around, or anything like that, smoking," Logsdon said. "That doesn't happen. It's just been decriminalized in that, there's no real penalty as long as the amounts were minor amounts."