Robert Celt
New Member
With polls showing strong support in Ohio for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, restrictions on medicinal use of the drug will inevitably be lifted. But will it happen by a ballot-driven constitutional amendment, or by the more deliberative path of the General Assembly?
A bill introduced last month by Rep. Stephen Huffman (R., Tipp City), an emergency room physician, has been partially revised and will be voted on Tuesday. It would provide a cautious step forward. It would let doctors recommend marijuana to their patients, without permitting them to home grow it.
The bill would permit only state-licensed cultivators to produce marijuana, and it would establish a nine-member Medical Marijuana Control Commission to make recommendations to the Department of Commerce on regulation of use.
House Bill 523 isn't perfect. It may, for example, overly restrict and regulate doctors. But, overall, it's a better framework than those proposed by groups seeking to install medical marijuana in the Ohio constitution.
Lawmakers know they must act. Even those who are reluctant to legalize medical marijuana recognize that they can either pass legislation to control the terms of legalization, or relinquish that control to a citizens group pushing a constitutional amendment.
In November, voters soundly rejected a sweeping plan by ResponsibleOhio to legalize pot for recreational and medical use and grant exclusive growing rights to the 10 investor groups that were bankrolling the campaign. That plan was defeated largely because voters perceived it as a money-grab by investors seeking a monopoly on marijuana production.
Now, multiple citizens group are launching petition drives to put constitutional amendments on the November ballot. To head off those efforts, legislative leaders want the medical marijuana bill on the governor's desk by June.
Science and public opinion suggest that lawmakers in Ohio should move forward, cautiously, with legalizing medical marijuana.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration will likely approve certain marijuana-derived products for medical use within the next five years. Even now, there is sufficient evidence, in this country and in Europe, that these products benefit patients with seizures, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other medical conditions.
About two dozen states have legalized marijuana in some form. In Ohio, polls show up to 80 percent support for medical use. The people are right. It is time.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Time To Legalize Medical Marijuana In Ohio
Author: Staff
Contact: The Blade
Photo Credit: Matthew Staver
Website: The Blade
A bill introduced last month by Rep. Stephen Huffman (R., Tipp City), an emergency room physician, has been partially revised and will be voted on Tuesday. It would provide a cautious step forward. It would let doctors recommend marijuana to their patients, without permitting them to home grow it.
The bill would permit only state-licensed cultivators to produce marijuana, and it would establish a nine-member Medical Marijuana Control Commission to make recommendations to the Department of Commerce on regulation of use.
House Bill 523 isn't perfect. It may, for example, overly restrict and regulate doctors. But, overall, it's a better framework than those proposed by groups seeking to install medical marijuana in the Ohio constitution.
Lawmakers know they must act. Even those who are reluctant to legalize medical marijuana recognize that they can either pass legislation to control the terms of legalization, or relinquish that control to a citizens group pushing a constitutional amendment.
In November, voters soundly rejected a sweeping plan by ResponsibleOhio to legalize pot for recreational and medical use and grant exclusive growing rights to the 10 investor groups that were bankrolling the campaign. That plan was defeated largely because voters perceived it as a money-grab by investors seeking a monopoly on marijuana production.
Now, multiple citizens group are launching petition drives to put constitutional amendments on the November ballot. To head off those efforts, legislative leaders want the medical marijuana bill on the governor's desk by June.
Science and public opinion suggest that lawmakers in Ohio should move forward, cautiously, with legalizing medical marijuana.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration will likely approve certain marijuana-derived products for medical use within the next five years. Even now, there is sufficient evidence, in this country and in Europe, that these products benefit patients with seizures, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other medical conditions.
About two dozen states have legalized marijuana in some form. In Ohio, polls show up to 80 percent support for medical use. The people are right. It is time.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Time To Legalize Medical Marijuana In Ohio
Author: Staff
Contact: The Blade
Photo Credit: Matthew Staver
Website: The Blade