Each year, approximately 20,000 Ohioans are arrested for cannabis offenses, many of which are possession related. Recently, United Returning Citizens, a non-profit organization which helps convicted felons develop skills to become self-sufficient citizens as they return to society, started a program called “URC Grows.” This program is in conjuction with Riviera Creek Holdings, a licensed Ohio medical marijuana cultivator. Both organizations are based in Youngstown, Ohio, and are collectively striving to help people with cannabis convictions find relevant and legal employment opportunities.
According to the program’s website, “URC Grows seeks to be different by providing an Ohio Department of Education Approved Certification, in three focused areas. We will also provide entrepreneurial development services and land for each entrepreneur to grow on, or employment in a URC operated grow facility.”
URC Grows includes the following components:
- Agriculture Program for hydroponic and aquaponic education;
- Industrial Hemp and CBD Program, which is designed to teach students everything they need to know to grow, process, and sell industrial hemp for fiber and seed or CBD; and,
- Marijuana Program to teach about growing medical grade cannabis.
In addition to providing educational and employment opportunities, URC Grows addresses social justice matters, with an emphasis on mass incarceration. Additionally, the program features business entrepreneur training and business operation development, to focus on business plans, filing necessary paperwork, and the like.
While the number of medical marijuana patients, and related jobs, in Ohio are still relatively minimal compared to states like Colorado and California, if and when recreational marijuana use is approved, tens of thousands of new jobs are expected to follow. This potential need for employees makes programs like URC Grows very important to marijuana offenders in Ohio.
Ohio’s marijuana laws are actively changing across the state and individual municipalities. Discussion on federal legalization is more prevalent than ever. Still, marijuana statutes and ordinances remain fully enforceable in Ohio and should not be taken lightly due to decriminalization and regulation in some areas.
* * *
