Pubdate: Sun, 05 Jan 2014
Source: Vindicator, The (Youngstown, OH)
Copyright: 2014 The Vindicator
Contact:  http://www.vindy.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3298
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?197 (Marijuana - Medicinal - Ohio)

LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN OHIO? LET THE DEBATE BEGIN

The roller-coaster ride of marijuana use in American culture is 
speeding up and rounding a corner toward wider acceptance.

As far back as 2900 B.C., when Chinese Emperor Fu Hsi sang the 
praises of the cannabis plant as a medical elixir that promoted the 
healthful yin and yang balance in life, marijuana has had more than 
its fair share of ups and downs in popularity and acceptance among the masses.

It enjoyed relatively strong acceptance as a medicine through the 
19th century until some began to question its use for recreation and 
personal pleasure. A 1936 film that remains among the biggest cult 
films in history titled "Reefer Madness" intentionally exaggerated 
potentially ill and mind-altering effects of the drug. Coincidentally 
or not, a new era of strict marijuna regulation and harsh criminal 
penalties soon followed.

In the 1930s, states throughout the country adopted harsh laws for 
marijuana users and sellers, including those that placed possession 
of the smallest amounts in jail for 10 years and socked them with 
fines of up to $20,000.

Flash forward to the early 1970s, when Colorado and Ohio became among 
the first states to severely decriminalize marijuana use. Then turn 
to today, when 20 states -- not including Ohio -- have legalized 
marijuana for medical use. Colorado and Washington state have gone 
farther yet this year by legalizing pot for recreational use.

If the Ohio Rights Group has its way, the Buckeye State will this 
year become the newest to legally permit marijuana use for medicinal 
purposes under highly regulated oversight. The group is collecting 
the 385,000 signatures it will need to place its proposed 
constitutional amendment on the state ballot this November.

What State Issue Would Do

The proposal would give Ohio residents age 18 and older, who have a 
debilitating medical condition and meet eligibility requirements, the 
right to use, possess, acquire and produce cannabis.

It would permit eligible Ohio residents to cultivate hemp for 
thousands of industrial uses, such as for paper, fuel, foods, 
building materials, clothing and more. It would also allow taxation 
on the drug's commercial trade. Regulating and overseeing all of this 
would be the Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control.

The Ohio Rights Group recently brought its campaign to the Mahoning 
Valley where four local families with young children suffering from 
epileptic seizures urged support for the initiative, arguing their 
children's lives would be enhanced via access to the healing 
qualities they say marijuana produces.

Such emotional appeals will likely grow in intensity as the campaign 
evolves over the spring, summer and fall. Supporters, however, can 
also make logical appeals based on a clear evolution of support for 
their cause in recent decades.

In 1990, for example, an Associated Press poll found that 81 percent 
of Americans opposed making pot legal. In 2000, a similar AP poll 
found 61 percent opposing legalization. A Pew Research Poll in April 
2013 showed that 77 percent of respondents said they believe 
marijuana should be legal for legitimate medical uses.

Nonetheless, opponents of such legalization aren't about to stand 
still and silent. Foes of the amendment, such as the Drug Free Action 
Alliance, will advance their arguments that making marijuana legal 
for medical use would create problems in the workplace and could 
usher in ill consequences for the state's young people.

Once supporters gather the requisite number of signatures -- and they 
vow they easily will do so -- expect a highly visible and animated 
debate that will join those surrounding other hot-button statewide 
issues and races in the critical 2014 General Election. At this early 
stage, we merely would prescribe healthy doses of honesty, fairness 
and transparency from both sides of the pot debate.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom