COLUMBUS – Ohio lawmakers plan to legalize medical marijuana by summer in an effort they say is more responsible and comprehensive than any ballot proposal.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
It comes as a medical marijuana question is working its way to Ohio’s fall ballot.
Republican House leaders set an aggressive timeline Wednesday for legalization legislation expected this week. It would clear the House this month and Senate next month, reach Gov. John Kasich by May 31 and be in law by Aug. 31.
Arguing it would be “extremely irresponsible” to move forward with marijuana legalization through another process, such as a ballot issue, without working with lawmakers on the new bill, House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville), pictured at podium above, stood with members of a House task force that heard 23 hours of testimony from more than 100 witnesses.
“To those considering ballot issues, this has not been a stall tactic,” Rosenberger said. “Now we move into a legislative process that will allow for more deliberation and time.”
Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) hinted the bill would not be a slam-dunk in the upper chamber, but agreed that “public policy should be made by the accountable, elected representatives in the legislature, not by selling our constitution to investors with nothing more than a selfish profit motive.”
“It’s impossible to say at this point what the final product will look like or even if we’ll have a final product. That’s part of what will be decided in the coming weeks,” Faber said.
State Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), above right, who chaired the medical marijuana task force, says a nine-person Medical Marijuana Control Commission would create and administer program rules. It would include members of the medical and law enforcement communities.
Dispensaries can be established and licensed physicians could start prescribing the drug.
The bill would allow doctors to prescribe edibles, patches and plant material. The bill would not allow homegrown marijuana, and the commission would license cultivators.