MEDICAL-MARIJUANA PROPONENTS ASK SENATORS FOR HEARING ON BILL

Committee Chairman Says He Will Delay Scheduling Session As Long As Possible

When Ohio lawmakers ponder whether the state should legalize
marijuana for medicinal use, Tonya Davis hopes they think of her.

The 42-year-old Kettering resident could take morphine or OxyContin
to deal with the daily pain from back injuries suffered after what
she says were years of domestic violence at the hands of her former
husband. She's also struggling with inflammatory bowel disease.

But she doesn't want those prescription drugs. They knock her out.
And she's worried she'll become addicted to them.

"I've had to deal with pain, and I've always smoked pot," Davis said.
"I knew it was a medicine, but I didn't know why or how. I just know
that I didn't have to take the harder drugs."

Davis took an uncomfortable 90-minute drive to the Statehouse
yesterday in hopes of persuading Senate Republican leaders to at
least hold a hearing on a bill that would allow the use of marijuana
for medicinal purposes.

Using a wheelchair because walking often is too painful, she visited
a number of state Senate offices, dropping off a card with a
one-sentence request: Please hold a hearing on Senate Bill 74. She
and others want the chance to tell their stories.

During her visit, Davis thanked Sen. Robert F. Hagan, D-Youngstown,
for sponsoring the bill, and broke into tears talking to Erin Davis,
a legislative aide for Sen. Tom Roberts, a Dayton Democrat.

"We're trying to change the image, because we're not a bunch of
stoners," she said.

Tonya Davis said she met in December with Sen. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana,
who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice Committee,
where the bill is pending.

Jordan said he has no plans to hold a hearing on the bill in the near
future, nor does he expect to allow people to testify at the one
hearing he is required to hold under Senate rules.

"Every place they try to do this, they say it's for medicinal
purpose, but it's a slippery slope to try to legalize more drugs that
are harmful to young people and harmful to all people," he said. "I'm
just totally opposed to that concept, which is why I'm not excited
about having a hearing and will probably wait as long as possible to
schedule one."

Hagan said he also has spoken to Jordan about a hearing, asking that
supporters at least get the chance to make their case. But he
acknowledged the difficulty of the issue -- some lawmakers think
marijuana is dangerous, and others worry he's trying to completely legalize it.

Even supporters worry how the issue could be used against them in a
campaign, Hagan said.

Eleven states have laws allowing medicinal use of marijuana. Most
limit the amount of the drug a person can possess.

"I'm out there by myself right now," Hagan said. "I'm not looking to
legalize marijuana. I just want the medicinal use of it."

Though she can't afford to buy it herself, Davis said she gets
marijuana from friends when she can.

"I wouldn't be able to take one step without using marijuana as a
medicine," she said, adding that the usually only walks while at home.

She uses a vaporizer to take the drug, which she said allows her to
absorb the medicinal properties of marijuana without the toxins that
come with burning a joint.

"You don't know how much it helps until you see it," said Jim Cowel
of Coshocton, a friend of Davis and member of the north Ohio chapter
of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a group
that wants to see marijuana legalized. "It just makes a whole
difference in her day."