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The Ohio Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that would dramatically expand the state\u2019s medical marijuana program by allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for patients<\/a> who can \u201creasonably be expected\u201d to benefit from it, in addition to making other changes.<\/p>\n Sen. Steve Huffman (R) is sponsoring the legislation, which cleared the chamber in a 26-5 vote. The bill\u2014which is one of several cannabis reform proposals that have been introduced in the legislature this session\u2014will now go to the House for consideration.<\/p>\n The Senate passes Senate Bill 261, sponsored by Senator @SteveHuffmanOH<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/urFLyTQpDL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ohio Senate GOP (@OhioSenateGOP) December 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The measure bill also seeks to streamline the regulatory structure of Ohio\u2019s medical marijuana system. It would do that in part by creating a Division of Marijuana Control within the Department of Commerce to oversee the program, which is currently regulated by the Board of Pharmacy.<\/p>\n Watch the Senate vote on the medical cannabis bill<\/a>, around 2:23:45 into the video below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \u201cThis bill is not about if we have a medical marijuana program in Ohio, but it\u2019s about making it business friendly and improving on what we did five years ago,\u201d Huffman said on the floor on Wednesday. \u201cThis bill was a result of an immense work, hard work, by medical providers, patients and industry advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe time has come to make some improvements to the program in an effort to streamline rules and regulations,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is my hope that the legislation will bring free-market principles to highly regulated businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the measure, the division would be tasked with licensing at least one retail dispensary for every 1,000 patients \u201cup to the first 300,000 registered patients and then adding additional retail dispensaries on an as-needed basis,\u201d according to an analysis.<\/p>\n Senator @SteveHuffmanOH<\/a> urges colleagues to support his legislation, improving Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program. pic.twitter.com\/j90OjX0fai<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ohio Senate GOP (@OhioSenateGOP) December 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Dispensaries would also be allowed to advertise, including on social media, without receiving approval from the division.<\/p>\n A new \u201cstandalone processor\u201d licensing category would be established. And there would be \u201ctwo levels of cultivator licenses, with level I cultivating up to 50,000 square feet and level II cultivating up to 6,000 square feet.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill would also make it so dispensaries could sell a wide array of cannabis products, including pills, oral sprays, lotions and \u201csimilar items.\u201d Further, the THC limit for concentrates would be increased from 70 to 90 percent.<\/p>\n Doctors could also issue medical marijuana recommendations via telemedicine.<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko (D), a cosponsor of the bill, said on Wednesday that he continues to \u201chear from people all over the place where people thanked us for what we did here in the Ohio General Assembly in bringing medical products\u2014but you know, we\u2019ve got so much so much farther to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t treat it like medicine. We still treat it like it\u2019s a joke, and it\u2019s not a joke,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s got the potential to stop children from having another seizure, the next seizure we know could cause permanent brain damage or death. It will stop Afghanistan veterans coming back from war, having PTSD. It can help our parents and our grandparents and maybe people my age from having stomach cancers and such that could put us in such excruciating pain they don\u2019t want to live anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers filed a bill this month to legalize marijuana for adult use in the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Reps. Jamie Callender (R) and Ron Ferguson (R) first\u00a0announced their plan to push the legislative reform proposal<\/a> in October and circulated a co-sponsorship memo to build support for the measure.<\/p>\n The bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 50 grams of cannabis. They could also grow up to six plants, only three of which could be mature, for personal use.<\/p>\n Further, the legislation includes a section that would have the state formally endorse a congressional bill to deschedule marijuana\u00a0that\u2019s sponsored by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH)<\/a>.<\/p>\n A\u00a0separate state legalization bill that was the first of its kind<\/a>\u00a0to be introduced in the Ohio legislature earlier this year would similarly legalize the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis by adults. It\u2019s being championed by Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D), and it does include expungement provisions.<\/p>\n A recent legislative survey found that Republican lawmakers in the state\u00a0are more supportive of legalizing marijuana<\/a>\u00a0than their Democratic colleagues are.<\/p>\n But leadership in the legislature, as well as Gov. Mike DeWine (R), will likely present obstacles for any recreational legalization bill that advances.<\/p>\n House Speaker Robert Cupp (R) laughed when he was asked about Callender\u2019s legislation after its initial announcement, though he added, \u201cLet\u2019s just see where it goes. I haven\u2019t read it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Callender said that although Republican legislative leaders and the governor are not yet on board, \u201cthere is more bipartisan support than most people would think.\u201d<\/p>\n These moves come as activists are nearing completion of the first phase of their signature drive for a cannabis legalization initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n The measure would force legislators to consider a proposal to legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.<\/p>\n Activists must collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort. If they succeed, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.<\/p>\n Further demonstrating the appetite for reform in Ohio, voters in seven cities\u00a0approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession<\/a>\u00a0during last month\u2019s election.<\/p>\n Ohio marijuana activists have also successfully proved that they\u00a0turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative<\/a>\u00a0before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials.<\/p>\n Youth Marijuana Use \u2018Decreased Significantly\u2019 In 2021 Despite State Reforms, Federally Funded Survey Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Ohio Senate Approves Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana For Any Patient Who Can \u2018Reasonably Be Expected\u2019 To Benefit<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Ohio Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that would dramatically expand the state\u2019s medical marijuana program by allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for patients who can \u201creasonably be expected\u201d to benefit from it, in addition to making other changes. Sen. Steve Huffman (R) is sponsoring the legislation, which clearedContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":51779,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51780,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51778\/revisions\/51780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Ohio Senate Approves Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana For Any Patient Who Can \u2018Reasonably Be Expected\u2019 To Benefit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"