Houston Rejects “Equal Rights” Ordinance

Religious Freedom, ,

Voters in Houston rejected a so-called “equal rights” ordinance by a vote of roughly 61% to 39%.

This represents a major victory for religious liberty in Houston. As you may recall, Houston’s mayor tried to subpoena pastors’ sermons and church documents last year during the debate over the ordinance.

In 2014 the Houston City Council passed the controversial “Houston Equal Rights Ordinance” which gives special protections to citizens based on sexual-orientation and gender-identity.

The proposal threatened the liberty of religious people and institutions who object to homosexual behavior, and it arguably would have allowed a biological male to enter women’s restrooms, showers, locker rooms, and similar facilities in Houston.

Houston residents petitioned to bring the ordinance up for a popular vote. This week, voters made their position overwhelmingly clear.

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Ohio Voters Soundly Reject Marijuana Proposal

Marijuana

This week voters in Ohio rejected a marijuana legalization proposal by a margin of nearly 2-to-1.

Issue 3–which would have allowed Ohioans 21 and older to grow and use marijuana, and would have allowed children and adults to use so-called “medical” marijuana–failed, with 64% of voters voting against the proposal.

The vote may signal changing opinions on marijuana legalization. Colorado’s experiment with recreational marijuana sales has demonstrated legalizing marijuana does not eliminate black market drug sales; does not bolster tax revenue the way many marijuana proponents claim; and leads to increased drug problems among youth.

You can see Ohio’s election results here.

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Separating Fact from Fiction on Marijuana

Marijuana

We have highlighted several resources produced by our friends at Focus on the Family intended to separate fact from fiction on marijuana.

Today we want to share a special  fact sheet from them regarding marijuana legalization.

The fact sheet includes data on:

  • Budget shortfalls on Colorado’s marijuana tax;
  • Rises in crime as well as driving under the influence of marijuana;
  • Rise in illicit drug consumption, both in Colorado and across the nation.

Most telling, perhaps, is the fact legalization has far from eliminated the black market for marijuana:

“The black market continues to thrive: The high taxes which are imposed on legal marijuana sales make the store-bought product more expensive than what can be purchased on the streets. Some former pot-shop owners are now operating illegally out of their vehicles for greater profit margins than before.”

You can download the entire fact sheet here.

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