cannabisnews.com: Efforts To Legalize Marijuana in Ohio Differ
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Efforts To Legalize Marijuana in Ohio Differ
Posted by CN Staff on April 25, 2016 at 06:11:56 PT
By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch
Source: Columbus Dispatch
Ohio appears likely to become the 25th state to approve medical marijuana, either through a new state law or a voted constitutional amendment. State lawmakers and two citizen advocacy groups are working simultaneously on proposals to bring marijuana as medicine to Ohioans with qualifying medical conditions.But how the legislature and advocates approach the subject is very different, and the two pro-marijuana groups are proposing separate variations as well.
Here are some key differences among the proposed legislation (House Bill 523), the Marijuana Policy Project amendment, and the Medicinal Cannabis and Industrial Hemp amendment.Impact: The legislation would change only Ohio law. Both ballot proposals would amend the Ohio Constitution.Marijuana in smokeable form: The legislation does not specifically allow it but doesn’t rule it out. Both ballot issues would allow it.Home-grown pot: The legislation would not allow growing marijuana at home; both ballot issues would allow it in limited quantities.Growers: The Marijuana Policy Project amendment would allow 15 large growers and unlimited small growers. Neither the legislation nor the cannabis and hemp amendment specify grower numbers.Qualifying conditions: No specific qualifying medical conditions for medical marijuana are listed in the legislation. Both amendments cite a list of ailments, conditions and diseases that would qualify.Doctor requirements: The legislation spells out numerous requirements for physicians, including registration and reporting marijuana prescriptions every 90 days. The amendments contain no specific requirements.Banking: The legislation would provide a “safe harbor” for banks and financial institutions to avoid potential criminal charges for working with individuals and businesses in the marijuana industry. Neither amendment includes a specific banking provision.Timing: Both ballot issues aim to make marijuana as medicine available next year, while the legislature would likely take two years to implement.A fiscal analysis of the potential cost of the proposed law done by the Legislative Service Commission offers limited information other than a $750,000 initial cost and $500,000 annual cost for the Board of Pharmacy to operate a marijuana-prescribing monitoring program. New costs for the Ohio Department of Health, where the Marijuana Control Commission would be located, were not calculated.Groups and individuals are weighing in on the legislation and ballot issues.The Ohio Rights Group, which at one time was planning its own marijuana ballot issue, said last week that it will support the Marijuana Policy Project initiative because it will “bring much needed therapeutic relief to the seriously ill in Ohio.”The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is taking a wait-and-see approach about all three proposals, said Adam Sharp, vice president of public policy. The group has not yet looked closely at the marijuana and hemp proposal, which would allow growing of hemp plants, a cousin of marijuana without its euphoric qualities, Sharp said. Hemp is used for a variety of products, including cloth, rope, oils and some edibles.Ohioans for Medical Marijuana, the local group working with the Marijuana Policy Project, responded with a detailed 12-point memo outlining its “serious concerns” with the proposed legislation. Among them are leaving decision-making in the hands of nine “unaccountable, unelected political appointees” on a Marijuana Control Commission; imposing “considerable hardships on patients” by requiring office visits every 90 days; providing no legal protection for patients or caregivers; and denying the ability to grow marijuana at home.While details, cost and accessibility are being discussed, timing is urgent to some, including Andrea Gunnoe, a school psychologist, business owner, wife and mother of four from Dublin who testified to the legislative panel last week.As she spoke, Gunnoe held her son, Reid, 6, who was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 3. She wants the state to approve medical marijuana to use to control Reid’s frequent seizures.“My son’s medical bills since his onset have totaled over $4 million,” Gunnoe said. Because of the time it will take to implement the law, she said caregivers should be given a “safe haven” to get marijuana concentrates from other sources and “be protected from prosecution and allegations of child endangering.”Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)Author: Alan Johnson, The Columbus DispatchPublished: Monday April 25, 2016Copyright: 2016 The Columbus DispatchContact: letters dispatch.comWebsite: http://www.dispatch.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/gZbYl8N3CannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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