OH - Poll Boosts Push for Medical Marijuana in Ohio

Poll Boosts Push for Medical Marijuana in Ohio
Posted by CN Staff on May 11, 2009 at 14:48:38 PT
By Julie Carr Amyth, AP Statehouse Correspondent
Source: Chicago Tribune

Columbus, Ohio -- Supporters of the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Ohio are headed back to the Statehouse armed with two new pieces of ammunition: recent legalization in neighboring Michigan and poll results showing a majority of Ohioans would favor the same in their state.

Ed Orlett, Ohio representative for the Drug Policy Alliance, said Monday that even he was surprised when last week's Ohio Poll out of the University of Cincinnati showed such strong support for legalizing medical marijuana.

"It adds legitimacy to it here in Ohio," Orlett said. "Politicians usually tell us, 'If I do this, I'm going to get killed politically.' Well, apparently not, if you look at this."

The poll found 73 percent of residents favor allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical reasons, including majorities in every demographic group from age, race and religion to political party. The survey was taken by phone from April 16 to April 27 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

For the Drug Policy Alliance, which fights for relaxed regulations nationwide, the poll brings new momentum after a series of political defeats in the state.

In 2002, for example, voters roundly rejected a ballot proposal that would have given nonviolent first- and second-time drug offenders a constitutional right to drug treatment over jail. The issue went down 67 percent to 33 percent.

A bill legalizing medical cannabis, meanwhile, died in committee last session after little debate. Its sponsor, Dayton area Democrat Tom Roberts, has since left the Senate, but Orlett said he now plans to approach other senators about backing a similar proposal this session.

In testimony last year, Richard Wyderski, a doctor and professor at Wright State University's Department of Medicine, said marijuana has been found to improve appetite and weight in cancer and Alzheimer's patients and decrease spasms in multiple sclerosis and spinal injury patients. He said it's being studied for possible benefits for epilepsy and brain injuries.

But the drug also has adverse effects: It increases some people's risk of panic or anxiety attacks, carries a risk to the lungs and is unproven in its benefits in any number of medical areas, Wyderski said.

In Michigan and 13 other states, policymakers or voters have decided the benefits outweigh the risks and legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight of those states -- California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Maine, Colorado, Hawaii and Nevada -- started their programs between 1996 and 2000. The others -- Maryland, Montana, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Mexico and now Michigan -- began theirs in the past five years.

In a 2005 study funded by the advocate Marijuana Policy Project, Jeffrey Miron, a visiting economics professor at Harvard University, found that only 0.024 percent of Ohio arrests involve marijuana sale or possession, yet $20 million was spent each year on enforcement, court proceedings and incarceration.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy's 2008 Marijuana Source Book reported that marijuana accounted for 40 percent of drug arrests nationally -- but only 2.5 percent of inmates in state prisons across the nation are there for marijuana-only offenses.

The report disputes the notion that marijuana can be legalized for medical use without creeping into the rest of the population. It cites federal statistics that show eight of the 10 states with the highest percentage of residents who used marijuana within the past month also were states with medical marijuana programs. Five of the 10 states with the highest percentage of new youth marijuana users also had medical marijuana programs in place.

On the Net:

Drug Policy Alliance: http://www.drugpolicy.org

Harvard Economic Impact Study: Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis

Marijuana Source Book 2008: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/statistics/Marijuana--2008.pdf

Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Author: Julie Carr Amyth, AP Statehouse Correspondent
Published: May 11, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: [email protected]
Website: Chicago News, Chicago Weather, Chicago Sports and Politics -- chicagotribune.com
URL: Poll boosts push for medical marijuana in Ohio -- chicagotribune.com

Opposition awaits possible legislation

In April, Michigan became the 13th state to legalize marijuana for specified medical reasons.

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS - From football to taxes, the rivalry between Ohio and its neighbor up north is the stuff of legend. But when it comes to legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, Ohio is showing little sign of following Michigan's lead.

A bill is being negotiated behind the scenes for possible introduction this fall, but even the concept's strongest supporters know it faces an improbable climb in the General Assembly.

The spear carrier this time may be Rep. Kenny Yuko (D., Richmond Heights), who believes he has a special perspective given his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

"It's given me a spirited interest," he said. "People come to me about MS and other illnesses. I've never had a marijuana cigarette in my life. I have no idea what that's like, but people have told me about the comfort it brings them in dealing with very excruciating illnesses."

On Nov. 4, 63 percent of Michigan voters approved a ballot issue making that state the 13th in the nation and the first in the Midwest to legalize the regulated use of marijuana by people dealing with a "debilitating medical condition" such as cancer, AIDS, Crohn's Disease, or other conditions causing severe pain, nausea, wasting, seizures, and other problems.

Since its medical marijuana program officially took effect April 6, the Michigan Department of Community Health has received 2,144 applications for registration cards that would allow applicants or their caregivers to grow or possess limited amounts of marijuana for personal medical use.

Department spokesman James McCurtis said 1,188 cards have been issued to patients and 403 have been issued to their designated caregivers. He said demand is expected to increase.

Prior to voters' approval of the law, the department officially opposed its passage.

"Now it doesn't matter how people feel about it," Mr. McCurtis said. "The people of Michigan have spoken, and now we do our job."

John Murphy, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, has heard the rumors in the Statehouse halls about a renewed effort in Ohio. The association remains opposed to the idea.

"It's viewed as a controlled substance, and there must be a reason for that," he said. "It's regarded as harmful and habit-forming, all the usual reasons. It should remain that way."

While the issue went directly to voters in Michigan, the emphasis in Ohio remains on the General Assembly, particularly in the House, where Democrats recently regained the majority. There's been little talk of pursuing an expensive ballot issue, despite a recent Ohio Poll released by the University of Cincinnati that showed 73 percent of Ohioans generally favor the concept.

"The passage of the issue up there [in Michigan] came through [wealthy Democratic activist] Peter Lewis' money," said Ed Orlett, a former state representative from Columbus who has advocated changes in Ohio's drug policy.

"We understand that the whole [ballot] effort would cost $2 million," he said. "It's a question of priorities. There are efforts in 12 other states, so someone is putting money into those states rather than Ohio."

He said he believes chances of passage in the General Assembly are better than they were, but the odds are still stacked against it, particularly if lawmakers propose the same bill introduced last session that was more lenient than what Michigan voters passed.

For instance, the Ohio bill, which saw a single committee hearing before it died last year, would have allowed approved medical marijuana users to have on hand about 7 ounces of usable marijuana. Michigan's law allows 2.5 ounces.

"If you take it down to 3.5 [ounces], then you're in the ballpark," Mr. Orlett said. "We wouldn't stand out."

Mr. Yuko said talks will continue over the summer in hopes of having a bill ready this fall that could have a chance of at least getting a House vote.

"People need to keep an open mind about it," he said. "We've reached a point in our lives where people can act responsibly with something that has a history of misuse."

Contact Jim Provance at:
[email protected]
or 614-221-0496.