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\u201cThis program is dying. The numbers tell us this.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n By Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal<\/strong><\/p>\n Ohio senators are trying once more to overhaul the state\u2019s medical marijuana system. That effort stalled out last session after passing the Senate. Meanwhile, the bid to place adult, recreational use on the ballot has only gained steam in the interim<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tuesday, the Ohio Senate\u2019s General Government Committee heard proponent testimony.<\/p>\n Speakers raised numerous concerns about Ohio\u2019s existing medical marijuana program. Yousef Zafer brought broad scope of experience. He\u2019s a marijuana patient himself, studying to be a pediatric neurosurgeon at Ohio State University. Zafer has also worked as a cannabis lab manager.<\/p>\n He told the committee<\/a> the current system lacks competition and doesn\u2019t include enough qualifying conditions. He argued the proposed overhaul makes strides on both issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI know a lot of patients who venture up to Michigan to purchase their medical products because they\u2019re cheaper and they\u2019re usually higher quality, which is illegal,\u201d Zafer said. \u201cWe need to keep Ohio patients in Ohio by offering those high quality products at a competitive price.\u201d<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n Ted Bibart painted a stark picture of the current state of Ohio\u2019s system.<\/p>\n \u201cThis program is dying. The numbers tell us this,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom last month\u2019s numbers to this month\u2019s numbers, we\u2019ve lost 3 percent of the patient population. Over 4,000 patients have no longer participated in this program than did the month prior.\u201d<\/p>\n He warned that with the medical program in decline, recreational marijuana\u2014which he insisted is coming\u2014could \u201ctotally eviscerate\u201d the medical system. He argued that without a medical framework demanding quality and therapeutics the market would shift to the lowest common denominator. Ohioans might have access but their options would suffer, he said.<\/p>\n Other backers sparred over the measure\u2019s testing regime, or criticized sponsors for leaving out language ensuring medical marijuana participation being considered in custody hearings.<\/p>\n \u2014 The core of Sens. Steve Huffman (R) and Kirk Schuring\u2019s (R) bill reiterate the measure Huffman guided through the Senate<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Once again, the proposal establishes a Division of Marijuana Control, or DMC, in the Commerce Department charged with program oversight. The Board of Pharmacy would continue running the drug database, but it would hand off dispensary licensing and patient registration to the new division.<\/p>\n Like the previous proposal, the measure splits cultivator licensing into two tiers, expands the range of eligible conditions, and sets a target of one dispensary per 1,000 patients.<\/p>\n But Huffman and Schuring have made a number of additions to the bill<\/a> this time around, too. Concerned with who oversees the overseers, their proposal establishes a 13-member commission to help stand up the new DMC. Members would include representatives from medicine, law enforcement, and labor, among others.<\/p>\n Schuring noted they picked up that idea from Maryland\u2019s system. A recent report from the independent patient advocacy organization Americans for Safe Access ranked Maryland first among state programs. Ohio\u2019s ranked eighth.<\/p>\n They direct the new division to hand out new dispensary licenses within 90 days and order them to make selections based on merit rather than a lottery.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel that the supply chain is broken,\u201d Schuring said in testimony introducing the bill last month.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel that it needs fixed,\u201d he went on. \u201cAt the end of the day, those who need medic medical marijuana, have to pay an inordinate price to get their medication to the point where it\u2019s not competitive in the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking after Tuesday\u2019s hearing, Schuring readily agreed with the assessment that Ohio\u2019s medical marijuana program is dying. \u201cI think the evidence shows that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But while speakers and some committee members seem to agree recreational use is coming, Schuring dismissed the idea of lawmakers taking the initiative and crafting their own version.<\/p>\n Taking a dig at the ballot initiative backed by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, he argued it provides little regulation if any.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what this program is designed to do,\u201d Schuring said, tapping the papers arrayed in front of him. \u201cAnd when you say you can grow it at home, that\u2019s not regulated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs I said before,\u201d he added, \u201clast time I checked, you can\u2019t put a still in your backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n A separate proposal recently introduced in the Ohio Senate\u00a0does seek to allow Ohioans to make and consume moonshine.<\/p>\n This story was first published by Ohio Capital Journal.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears Seventh House Committee, Halfway To The Floor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Ohio Senators Take Up Bill To Overhaul State\u2019s Medical Marijuana Program As Advocates Pursue Adult-Use Legalization At Ballot<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program is dying. The numbers tell us this.\u201d By Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal Ohio senators are trying once more to overhaul the state\u2019s medical marijuana system. That effort stalled out last session after passing the Senate. Meanwhile, the bid to place adult, recreational use on the ballot hasContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":61653,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61652"}],"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\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61654,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61652\/revisions\/61654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A dying program<\/h3>\n
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\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nCh-ch-ch-ch-changes<\/h3>\n
Committee takeaways<\/h3>\n
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\nRead More: Ohio Senators Take Up Bill To Overhaul State\u2019s Medical Marijuana Program As Advocates Pursue Adult-Use Legalization At Ballot<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"