Turning Insight Into Action
It’s official – Ohio is on its way to becoming the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana. Today, May 10th 2016, the Ohio House approved a bill which allows for the use of marijuana in patients with qualifying medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation. The legislation (House Bill 523) passed with a 71-26 vote. Now it heads to the Senate where it is expected to be approved quickly and on the governor’s desk by June. The bill is light on specifics, as it outsources much of the industry regulation to a nine-member commission that would have two years to write industry rules before qualifying patients can legally possess cannabis.
The bottom line: If you have a qualifying medical condition, an Ohio-licensed physician can recommend that you use marijuana for your symptoms. On top of that, if you are a parent or a caregiver you would not be arrested or lose custody of your children for using your doctor prescribed cannabis. Attorneys and other professionals would not be disciplined for providing services to cannabis clients. Further, this bill would urge the federal government to reschedule marijuana from schedule I to schedule II – a change that would catalyze clinical cannabis research.
But time to come back down to Earth for a moment – there are a few caveats in this bill to be mindful of. Smoking marijuana is still a no-go – your doctor would have to recommend an alternative method, like vaping, to consume cannabis. You are also not permitted to grow your own marijuana plants – the state would have to issue licenses for growing and selling the drug. And employers in Ohio retain the right to maintain a cannabis-free workplace. Patients using medical marijuana (even properly under state law) are subject to termination and would be rendered ineligible for unemployment compensation if terminated.
And Ohioans for Medical Marijuana is not standing down in its attempt to put a ballot initiative in front of Ohio voters this November. “It’s a shame lawmakers couldn’t have made history with a vote on a substantive and meaningful medical marijuana bill,” said Aaron Marshall, spokesman for Ohioans for Medical Marijuana. “Today’s vote will only bring false hope and empty promises to Ohioans suffering from debilitating conditions who need medical marijuana.” Marshall noted that the ballot initiative would allow for immediate use by qualifying patients through an affirmative defense and home grow clause.
All things considered – Ohio took a step forward today. But one has to wonder whether our elected officials will go far enough and provide Ohio with a well-regulated and well-functioning cannabis industry.