MEDICAL CANNABIS BILL TO BE INTRODUCED IN OHIO SENATE

Sen. Tom Roberts, D-Trotwood, unveiled plans on Wednesday to
introduce legislation defining and regulating the legitimate medical
use of cannabis in Ohio.

If made into law, Roberts' Ohio Medical Compassion Act would allow
qualified patients, those with the approval of primary caregivers, to
use medicinal marijuana by virtue of a cardholder system.

"The OMCA would give patients the opportunity to choose the type of
medicine that most effectively treats them," Roberts said. "Our laws
should reflect the latest in medical research, which has shown that
medicinal cannabis has a variety of benefits for treating pain,
nausea and other symptoms related to a wide range of disease."

Lacking a state-sanctioned distribution system, the act permits
patients or primary caregivers to purchase cannabis from the criminal market.

Per a licensing process through the Ohio Department of Health,
patients who are determined by their primary caregiver to have a
debilitating illness may possess a maximum of 200 grams and 12 mature
plants. Following guidelines to be formulated by the Ohio Department
of Agriculture, cannabis also potentially could be grown by licensed patients.

The act was developed through a collaborative process between
Roberts' office and the Ohio Patient Network, a non-profit group that
advocates the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

"We have been lobbying the various legislators throughout the state
and Sen. Roberts was very receptive and positive and took interest in
this issue," said OPN President Robert Ryan.

According to Ryan, the act is based on the Oregon Medical Marijuana
Act, passed in 1998, and is designed to be revenue neutral with no
technical financial burden on the state. He added that registration
fees in Oregon for medicinal cannabis actually generate revenue.

However, for those patients who are not capable of providing for
their own use, caregivers may receive reimbursement for the costs
associated with providing patients with cannabis.

If enacted, the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of
Agriculture would be required to establish an advisory board to
consider granting medicinal use of cannabis for Ohio patients with
debilitating medical conditions, roughly defined by Roberts as
conditions similar in gravity to cancer and multiple sclerosis.

"As opposed to some of the previous legislation in this area, it's
very comprehensive and it's pushing for a best practices law," said Roberts.

The act also contains protections from arrest from patients and
allows law enforcement to easily identify legitimate patients.
Furthermore, patients cannot be denied custody or visitation of a
minor for acting in accordance with the OMCA.

The act does not require employers to accommodate the medical use of
cannabis in the workplace and prohibits operation of a motor vehicle
and smoking of cannabis in public places.

Ohio Patient Network co-founder Mary Jane Borden said that while the
introduction of the act is a huge step forward, the licensing
component and lack of a prescription-based distribution system
creates too many obstacles between patient and product.

"Those barriers will prevent adoption by the public. If this isn't
taken through channels in which people find credibility, they will be
reluctant to find it as medicine," said Borden. "They may say 'Oh,
there's so many people I have to go through,' or if there's a pall
cast on it because of past or present illegality, I think that's a problem."

Roberts emphasized to The Daily Reporter that the essence of the act
is in its title: compassion.

"We know from conversations with some folks that there is a lot of
pain involved in some of these conditions," said Roberts. "The
current lack of medical alternatives highlights the urgent need for
Ohio to join a growing list of other states and pass the OMCA, which
is long-overdue."

Twelve states - including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and
Washington - have decriminalized penalties for the medicinal use of cannabis.

"In an era of scientific breakthroughs and medical advances, patients
should not be put in the position of choosing between living a normal
life and living a healthy life," said Roberts.