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Cleveland.com
Ohio lawmakers
plan to introduce medical marijuana bills
By Jackie Borchardt
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On the heels of the defeat of a proposal to legalize
marijuana, state lawmakers in the Ohio House said Wednesday they plan
to move forward with several bills related to medical marijuana.
House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, a Republican from Southwest Ohio, told
reporters Wednesday that Republicans plan to take a "measured and
methodical approach" to drafting and passing medical marijuana
legislation.
Issue 3, which would have also legalized recreational use, received
only 36 percent of the votes cast Tuesday, according to unofficial
results. Rosenberger said he has no interest in allowing non-medical
use, but said polling showed Ohioans overwhelmingly support medical
marijuana.
Meanwhile, marijuana advocates say they are already making plans to put
legalization before voters in the November 2016 presidential election.
In the coming weeks, Rosenberger said, lawmakers plan to introduce
resolutions urging the federal government to move marijuana down on the
list of controlled substances and the Food and Drug Administration to
allow more medical-related studies in Ohio.
Rosenberger said House Republicans and Democrats support legalizing
some medical use, but lawmakers need to review the research, including
studies under way at Ohio children's hospitals, and hear from experts
before making decisions allowing marijuana use. Medical marijuana is
legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
"We want to hear from anybody and everybody who's dealing with this so
we get the best possible movement forward on this for the state of
Ohio," Rosenberger said.
Cliff Rosenberger Kirk SchuringHouse Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and Rep.
Kirk Schuring, both Republicans, told reporters Wednesday that
Republicans and Democrats want to discuss medical marijuana.Jeremy
Pelzer/cleveland.com
One vocal legalization opponent might prove problematic for Statehouse
legalization efforts. Gov. John Kasich called recreational marijuana
legalization "a terrible idea" and said through a spokesman earlier
this year that medical marijuana isn't the answer for families of
children with catastrophic illnesses.
Kasich spokesman Joe Andrews clarified the governor's position, saying
he neither supports nor opposes medical marijuana.
"The governor is sensitive to the plight of those who have debilitating
diseases, but feels the need to let medical professionals lead on this
issue," Andrews said in an email. "He hopes that through additional
clinical research we can determine if medicinal cannabis can produce
treatments that help patients who cannot find relief with other
medications."
Canton Rep. Kirk Schuring, who is leading marijuana legalization
efforts among House Republicans, declined to give details about future
legislation, but mentioned that a pilot program for some patients could
be a starting place.
"We need the clinical research to determine whether or not marijuana is
advantageous," Schuring said. "Through that methodical process, we
would determine whether or not we would want to do a pilot or something
that would allow residents to have access to medical marijuana."
Democratic Sens. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman and Kenny Yuko of Richmond
Heights wrote a letter to Rosenberger and Senate President Keith Faber
requesting discussion about the issue in the hopes of passing
bipartisan legislation. Schiavoni and Yuko said they've been drafting
bills based on best practices from other states.
Faber, a Celina Republican, wasn't ready Wednesday to say whether
Senate Republicans supported the idea.
"We've had members looking into it," Faber said in a statement. "I'm
concerned that any proposal have tight provisions to meet the medical
necessity and to avoid abuse."
Issue 3 would have allowed Ohioans with a "debilitating medical
condition" such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple
sclerosis to purchase marijuana at wholesale cost if they have a
"certification" from a current treating physician. Issue 3 also would
have legalized recreational marijuana sales and use, with all marijuana
for sale grown at 10 sites belonging to investors bankrolling the
campaign.
Rosenberger gave Issue 3 some credit for raising the profile for
marijuana but said Ohioans have asked for action. He said Republican
lawmakers have been working on medical marijuana legislation since the
beginning of the year. He cited House Bill 33, which would legalize a
marijuana extract that's low in the compound that produces a high.
Such extracts have reduced seizures in some children with intractable
epilepsy. But marijuana advocates said cannabis contains dozens of
compounds that could prove beneficial for a variety of conditions, and
patients should have access to the whole plant.
Future ballot initiatives
Ian James, executive director of pro-Issue 3 group ResponsibleOhio,
said they'll be back next year with a revised plan. If that plan also
awards cultivation licenses to pre-selected people, it's likely to run
afoul of Issue 2, the anti-monopoly amendment that passed Tuesday night
with 52 percent of the vote.
In that case, the Ballot Board would likely rule the amendment in
violation of the anti-monopoly provision, and ResponsibleOhio would
have to persuade voters to say "yes" twice -- first on a question to
approve the monopoly and then on the actual proposed amendment.
Two other groups have started collecting the 305,591 signatures
required to put a constitutional amendment before voters.
Ohio Rights Group, which pushed a medical-only measure, is considering
its next move, ORG Vice President John Pardee said Wednesday. Ohio
Rights Group initially strongly opposed Issue 3, but endorsed the
measure after ResponsibleOhio investors promised to let small
"artisanal" growers rent space on the 10 grow sites.
Pardee said his group's Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment is the plan
least likely to be affected by Issue 2 because it doesn't specify a tax
rate or structure a new industry. But Pardee said the Ohio Ballot
Board, a bipartisan panel led by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon
Husted, has the power to decide whether petitioners would have to put
two questions on the ballot.
"If there's a political necessity to give an amendment a scarlet letter
they'll find a way," Pardee said. "They could find some language or
clause they can brand as a special interest."
Ohioans to End Prohibition, which recently rebranded itself Legalize
Ohio 2016, started its recreational and medical marijuana amendment
campaign months earlier than planned to show voters they would have
another option if Issue 3 failed. Ohioans to End Prohibition President
Sri Kavuru said the campaign dialed back before the election but
Tuesday's vote gave them the green light to start their campaign in
earnest.
Kavuru said Issue 3's failure has already attracted attention from
potential donors, including some Issue 3 investors. Kavuru said
Legalize Ohio 2016 plans to spend $12 million on the campaign,
including $1 million to collect signatures.
"We're looking forward to connecting with a lot of activists from
ResponsibleOhio," Kavuru said.
"We all want the same thing. We all want legalization. We want patients
to have access."
Kavuru said his group is consulting with legal experts to determine
whether Issue 2 would affect its amendment, which outlines a legal
marijuana industry and sets tax rates. Kavuru was confident the measure
would either be grandfathered in or unaffected but said it's still
early enough to tweak the language to meet the new law.
Kavuru said he wasn't concerned about legislators enacting laws before
the November 2016 election. "Our law covers medical marijuana patients
better than any legislation they could put together," Kavuru said.
Read this article and others at Cleveland.com
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