The bill passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly – by a 18-15 vote in the Senate and a 67-28 vote in the House – on May 25.
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OH became the latest state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana after Republican Gov. John Kasich signed legislation Wednesday. They needed to gather 305,000 signatures of valid voters by July 6th in order to be on the ballot, but in light of legislature passing a bill with only a couple of differences, Marijuana Policy Project decided their efforts were needed elsewhere.
Kasich also signed five other bills Wednesday, including one that establishes address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence and another that authorizes county records to issue OH veterans’ identity cards. The law requires that medical marijuana be available within two years.
“The reality is that raising funds for medical marijuana policy changes is incredibly hard, especially given the improvements made to the proposed program by the Ohio General Assembly and the fact that the Governor is expected to sign the bill”, said Brandon Lynaugh, campaign manager for Ohioans for Medical Marijuana, in a statement.
The law prohibits the smoking of medical marijuana and home growing of pot, but permits vaping products, patches and certain edibles. The bill also sets some parameters for dispensaries, cultivators and testing laboratories.
State Sen. Dave Burke, R-Marysville, a pharmacist who carried the bill, predicted that chosen growers could be cultivating marijuana in OH soil within a year, with marijuana products tested and available in 16 months.
Those who use marijuana legally can still be fired and denied unemployment benefits if they violate their workplace drug policies.
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The Ohioans for Medical Marijuana campaign initially said the legislation would bolster its initiative. The bill dissolves the committee after five years and 30 days. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy would register patients and caregivers and license dispensaries. The Medical Board would issue certificates to physicians seeking to recommend treatment with medical marijuana. That would be determined later by the Ohio Department of Commerce.
