Pubdate: Wed, 05 Feb 2014
Source: Cincinnati City Beat (OH)
Copyright: 2014 Lightborne Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.citybeat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1692
Author: German Lopez
Cited: Ohio Rights Group http://www.ohiorights.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?197 (Marijuana - Medicinal - Ohio)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

GROWING SUPPORT

Pro-Medical Marijuana Organization Targets the 2014 Ohio Ballot;
Entrepreneurs Prepare for Eventual Legalization

Ohioans could soon legally toke up if the Ohio Rights Group succeeds
in its efforts to legalize medical marijuana and industrial hemp
across the state.

The 2014 ballot effort tackles the issue as Colorado and Washington
move along with full-on marijuana legalization and President Barack
Obama, a vocal skeptic of legalization, allows both states to pursue
their "experiments."

But before Ohio can vote on the issue in November, the Ohio Rights
Group first needs to gather 385,247 petition signatures, which in
large part must come from at least half of Ohio's 88 counties, and
present them to Ohio's secretary of state before a July deadline. For
a grassroots campaign, that presents a considerable -- and costly --
statewide undertaking.

Mary Jane Borden, secretary and treasurer of the Ohio Rights Group,
says the response so far has been great.

"It is unbelievable to me, considering that we started this time last
year," Borden says. "We've activated all but six Ohio counties. And by
the end of this week I'm told that we'll have all 88 counties led by
what we call 'county captains.'"

Borden says the group is currently calling back petition signatures to
get a clearer idea of where the campaign stands today. As of September
2013, the group estimated it had 30,000 signatures. With an estimated
6,000 petitions in circulation and each petition containing the
potential of 36 signatures, the group could get up to 216,000
additional signatures from its callback.

"That would turn out to be (the case) if every single one of the
signature blocks was filled out, which they probably wouldn't," Borden
says. "We estimated in our prior efforts 20-25 signatures per petition
when you average them out between the ones that have the full 36
versus the onesies and the twosies."

The group could certainly use the boost from thousands of maximized
petitions. Its campaign finance report for 2013 showed it only raised
about $22,000 throughout the year, nearly $4,500 of which remains on
hand for future expenditures. That's far below the millions of dollars
typically deemed necessary for statewide ballot issues.

Amy Wolfinbarger, Hamilton County captain of the Ohio Rights Group,
acknowledges some of the campaign's hurdles.

"Funding is obviously an issue," she says. "We're hoping we'll get to
a certain number (of petition signatures) and people will start
throwing money at us."

Still, the group has some political tides in its favor as a clear
majority of the nation moves toward supporting full legalization . An
October poll from Gallup found 58 percent of Americans now favor
legalizing marijuana and only 39 percent oppose it, with a margin of
error of 4 percent.

In Ohio, a Saperstein Associates poll conducted for The Columbus
Dispatch in March found 63 percent of Ohioans favor legalizing medical
marijuana and 35 percent oppose it, with a margin of error of 3.1
percent. That contrasted with full marijuana legalization, which
polled Ohioans opposed 59-37.

Among the supporters is Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access (VMCA).
Michael Krawitz, a U.S. Air Force veteran injured in an accident and
founding director of VMCA, says the unique benefits of medical
marijuana for many issues that afflict veterans -- suicide, depression
and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- spurred veterans like him
to support the movement early on.

As an example, Krawitz eagerly points out the first person to buy
legal marijuana in Colorado -- Sean Azzariti -- was an Iraq War
veteran who sought the drug to cope with his PTSD.

Although it's legally tricky to study the benefits of marijuana
because of its legal prohibition and the federal government's
stranglehold on research dollars, studies so far show the drug could
help with a variety of medical problems.

A study released in August by the American Journal of Public Health
found legalizing medical marijuana reduced suicides by 10.8 percent
for men between the ages of 20 and 29 and 9.4 percent for men between
the ages of 30 and 39.

"The negative relationship between legalization and suicides among
young men is consistent with the hypothesis that marijuana can be used
to cope with stressful life events," the study concluded, before
advising further analysis.

Another study from the New York University Langone Medical Center
released in May used brain imaging and found a potential link between
the amount of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain and PTSD.

"There's a consensus among clinicians that existing pharmaceutical
treatments such as antidepressants simply do not work," said Alexander
Neumeister, the study's lead researcher, in a statement. "In fact, we
know very well that people with PTSD who use marijuana -- a potent
cannabinoid -- often experience more relief from their symptoms than
they do from antidepressants and other psychiatric
medications."

A 2010 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal
found smoking marijuana three times a day for five days "reduced the
intensity of pain, improved sleep and was well tolerated." The
findings echoed the conclusions reached for treating chronic pain
among HIV-positive patients by a 2007 study published in Neurology.

At an anecdotal level, some medical marijuana users claim the drug
helps treat epilepsy. Others tout it as a potential treatment for
nausea and appetite -- a particularly powerful combination for cancer
patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Many opponents of laxer drug laws say the mere mention of legalization
of any sort encourages and increases marijuana use, particularly among
youth. But the available data refutes their claims.

According to data from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System,
reported marijuana use in the past 30 days among youth dropped from
25.3 percent to 23.1 percent between 1995 -- a year before California
became the first state to legalize medical marijuana -- and 2011.

While the debate continues in the political and medical worlds, some
potential businesses are already gearing up for legalization. In
Cincinnati, Comfy Tree Cannabis Collective on Feb. 1 hosted a business
seminar for entrepreneurs looking to open their own marijuana
businesses. Topics included setting up the correct financials and
security, building the best business team and establishing a niche in
the market.

If other states' experiences are any indication, the potential for new
businesses and entrepreneurs could create thousands of jobs as
dispensaries pop up around Ohio. An industry-sponsored study from an
Arizona State University researcher in March found medical marijuana
businesses will eventually create more than 1,500 jobs in Arizona,
which legalized the plant for medical uses in 2010. Arizona's
population is about half that of Ohio.

The question for the Ohio Rights Group is whether the widespread
support in the state, medical studies and potential for economic
impact will win out over the campaign's current shortfalls. It's a big
deal for the group, which hopes a broader movement will follow if Ohio
legalizes medical marijuana.

"As goes Ohio, so goes the nation," Borden says. "What you hear here
is being echoed across the country."

The Ohio Rights Group encourages volunteers to join the medical
marijuana legalization movement at http://ohiorights.org/ and
http://facebook.com/ohiorightsgroup
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MAP posted-by: Matt