COLUMBUS -- Ma-nila Taylor, a junior at Warren G. Harding High School, made the three-hour bus trip from Trumbull County to the Ohio Statehouse on Monday to share one message: Don't do drugs.

"Your life is more important than wasting it on drugs and alcohol and smoking," the 17-year-old said. "It's more important to make something of yourself, and staying drug-free, you will be able to be successful in life."

She was one of several hundred teens who rallied in Columbus, walking nearly a mile through the downtown business district to Capitol Square to draw attention to "the majority" of young people who refrain from using drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.

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WELLSBURG - Members of Brooke High School's chapter of West Virginia National Youth Leadership Initiative on Monday attempted to tell their peers about the dangers of marijuana use in various ways, but it was a personal account from one of the group's members that illicited the most attention.

The group is comprised of several students who have undergone training through conferences and web-based seminars held by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's National Youth Leadership Initiative to use various media to share with their peers information about the harmful effects of drug use.

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Retired Cincinnati Police Capt. Howard Rahtz on Thursday presented his theory and proposed solutions for the War on Drugs - one of which is legalizing marijuana - during a visit to Ohio University. Speaking on behalf of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Rahtz suggested to an audience in Bentley Hall that the legalization of marijuana is the solution to ending drug-related violence, and shared three facts to support his conclusion.

Approximately 50 students showed up for the speech which was hosted by Students For Liberty, a campus organization that "promotes individual liberty and fostering discussion on the role of government in society."

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Initiative Would Create 9-Member Panel to Set Rules

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Association has planted the seed for a ballot initiative that would put the question of medical marijuana to Ohio voters this November, and now it is working to ensure those efforts bear fruit.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment would make Ohio the 17th state to legalize marijuana for treatment of patients with a variety of diseases that cause chronic pain, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and spinal-cord injuries.

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Two area drug-fighting agencies are going public with their opposition to a possible statewide ballot issue in November authorizing the use of marijuana as a medicine for certain types of illnesses.

"We wanted to take early action to get our position out there," said Brian Kress, chairman of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties.

Also weighing in against use of medical marijuana is the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County.

In October, the Ohio Ballot Board approved a medical marijuana issue, the Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment.

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Organizers are currently circulating a petition around Ohio in hopes of placing an issue on the November ballot to legalize marijuana for medical use.

The 'Alternative Treatment Amendment' was submitted in July 2011 to the Ohio Attorney General's office to place a new amendment on the November 2012 ballot.

As dictated in the petition, this reform would call for the legal use of marijuana to alleviate symptoms of "severe nausea, chronic pain and muscle spasms" caused by diseases such as HIV-AIDS and Parkinson's. The language of the initiative also says those who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may also qualify.

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Studies Show That While Smoking Marijuana Can Help to Open Up The Lungs, It Can Have More Toxins Than Smoking Cigarettes.

Two recent studies have found that while smoking marijuana can help to open up the lungs, it can have more toxins than smoking cigarettes.

For more than 20 years, the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Alabama have been collecting research and medical data on marijuana smoke in relation to tobacco smoke and its comparative effects on the human respiratory system.

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Two proposed medical-marijuana issues potentially headed for Ohio's Nov. 6 ballot seem similar at first glance but are quite different in terms of specifics and supporters.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2012 was approved yesterday by the Ohio Ballot Board, clearing the way for supporters to begin gathering the 385,245 signatures of registered voters needed to qualify the issue for the ballot. The group has until July 6 to submit names.

Mary Jane Borden of Westerville, a committee member for the Cannabis Amendment, said medical marijuana can be an effective, natural way to ease chronic pain without relying on addictive narcotic medications.

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Ohio's second proposed medical-marijuana statewide ballot issue took a step forward yesterday when it was certified by Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution contains a "fair and truthful" summary and has the necessary 1,000 signatures of Ohio registered voters, DeWine determined.

The issue next heads to the Ohio Ballot Board, which will determine whether it should appear on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot as a single issue or multiple issues. Secretary of State Jon Husted set a board meeting for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. If the board approves, supporters will be allowed to begin collecting the 385,245 valid signatures of registered voters necessary to qualify for the ballot.

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Ohio's second proposed medical-marijuana statewide ballot issue took a step forward when it was certified by Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution contains a "fair and truthful" summary and has the necessary 1,000 signatures of Ohio registered voters, DeWine determined.

The issue next heads to the Ohio Ballot Board, which will determine whether it should appear on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot as a single issue or multiple issues. Secretary of State Jon Husted set a board meeting for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. If the board approves, supporters will be allowed to begin collecting the 385,245 valid signatures of registered voters necessary to qualify for the ballot.

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Backers of a second medical-marijuana amendment will file language with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today, hoping to get their issue on the November statewide ballot.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2012, accompanied by nearly 3,000 signatures, will be submitted to DeWine to review the language summarizing the proposal, said Theresa Daniello, a supporter of the nonpartisan group that includes many patients seeking pain relief for medical conditions.

The proposed language argues that Ohioans have "inalienable rights" under the Ohio Constitution, including the right to "be eligible to use cannabis as medicine as a result of a diagnosed debilitating medical condition." The issue would establish an Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control to regulate medical cannabis in Ohio.

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Warren County task force is investigating a large supplier operation.

Sixteen area deaths since March have been linked to bath salts and area law enforcement and medical officials say the designer drug remains a problem in the region despite a statewide ban that went into effect in October.

The fatalities included nine overdoses from bath salts or from bath salts in conjunction with other drugs; five accidental deaths; and two suicides, said Laureen Marinetti, chief forensic toxicologist for the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory. The most recent death case was from November, after the state ban went into effect, she said.

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Ohioans May Get to Decide Legality With 2012 Vote

Marijuana could be grown and used for medical purposes under a state constitutional amendment Ohio voters may consider in 2012.

The Ohio Alternative Treatment Act recently met initial criteria to allow supporters to begin collecting the more than 385,000 signatures needed to place the issue on the 2012 general election ballot.

The amendment would allow medical practitioners in a "bona fide practitioner-patient relationship" to recommend cannabis as a treatment for qualifying medical conditions. These would include cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and other diseases, conditions or treatments that produce severe nausea, pain or muscle spasms.

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The Ohio Ballot Board approved a medical-marijuana ballot issue yesterday, clearing the way for supporters to begin gathering signatures to place it on the statewide ballot in November 2012.

The backers of the bill must now gather at least 385,000 valid signatures of Ohio registered voters to submit to the secretary of state in order to qualify for next year's fall ballot.

The Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment would allow qualified practitioners to prescribe marijuana for patients at least 18 years old with a "qualifying medical condition." Patients could obtain up to 3.5?ounces of marijuana at a time.

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Grand Jury Hands Down Secret Indictments Against 68 People.

HAMILTON - A joint drug roundup operation this week has led to the arrest of 44 people by Wednesday afternoon on felony charges, according to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.

The Butler County Prosecutor's Office, the warrants division and regional narcotics unit with the sheriff's office, county probation department, United States Marshals, and police departments from West Chester Twp., Fairfield Twp., Monroe and Oxford all participated in the operation that began Tuesday.

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COLUMBUS - An effort to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio was stopped in its tracks Wednesday when supporters failed to get enough valid signatures on petitions, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office.

The proposal needed 1,000 signatures, but just 534 of the 2,134 turned in by supporters were deemed to be valid, according to a release to the media from DeWine's office.

The signatures were needed to begin the process of giving voters a chance to consider the proposed Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment to the Ohio Constitution in 2012. Supporters proposed making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients and for those patients to possess it.

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Group Submits Petitions To Legalize Marijuana

Kettering Woman Supports Constitutional Amendment

DAYTON - A group supporting legalization of medical marijuana in Ohio has taken the first steps to place a Constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot.

Supporters turned in 2,143 signatures on petitions containing summary language of the proposed amendment to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who has sent the signatures out to local boards of election to verify.

The group needs 1,000 signatures before DeWine will determine if the summary is a fair and truthful statement. After that, it is forwarded for review by the Ohio Ballot Board and to Ohio secretary of State Jon Husted. The group would then need to gather at least 385,245 valid signatures on petitions to place the amendment on the ballot, said Matt McClellan, press secretary for Husted.

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Kettering Woman Supports Constitutional Amendment.

DAYTON - A group supporting legalization of medical marijuana in Ohio has taken the first steps to place a Constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot.

Supporters turned in 2,143 signatures on petitions containing summary language of the proposed amendment to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who has sent the signatures out to local boards of election to verify.

The group needs 1,000 signatures before DeWine will determine if the summary is a fair and truthful statement. After that, it is forwarded for review by the Ohio Ballot Board and to Ohio secretary of State Jon Husted. The group would then need to gather at least 385,245 valid signatures on petitions to place the amendment on the ballot, said Matt McClellan, press secretary for Husted.

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A story in Monday's Times headlined "'Bath salts' shop owner is due in court today'" reported on a local businessman's unenviable position of experiencing the legal system after police arrested him on drug-related charges. A more accurate title would have been "Police arrest non-violent individual doing stupid, voluntary actions."

The arrest of non-violent offenders is completely illegitimate with few positive consequences, even recognizing the harmful and non-beneficial effects of drug use. To combat drug use and violence within society, one fact must be acknowledged: the war on drugs has exacerbated the drug problem and prevents positive solutions from developing.

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The Drug Enforcement Agency has a warning to parents -- if your child wants to be buy some herbal incense, be aware they may be purchasing a potentially harmful product.

Just like bath salts -- a phenomenon that has nothing to do with scented bath water additives -- a product known as Mad Hatter incense is being sold in central Ohio.

Instead of sticks designed to burn and emit fragrant scents, this incense is a green leafy substance that can cause medical issues from increased heart rates to hallucinations.

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