Our main goal is to urge support for the Ohio Medical Compassion Act, previously SB343, and more recently HB478. It is reportedly being reintroduced early in this two year session of the Ohio Assembly, or state congress, perhaps as a legislative ballot. There are also talks of a Ballot Initiative! No details yet, but this could also add pressure to the legislators to move. Either way, we feel very positive about the possibilities for 2012!

The use of marijuana as medicine is a public health issue; it should not be part of the war on drugs. According to a recent national survey of U.S. physicians conducted for the American Society of Addiction Medicine, nearly half of all doctors with opinions support legalizing cannabis as a medicine.

Some 80 state and national health care organizations, including the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association and The New England Journal of Medicine, support immediate, legal patient access to medical cannabis.

Most recently, the largest association of doctors of internal medicine and the second largest medical association in the country, the American College of Physicians, released a policy paper in support of medical cannabis, stating, “The ACP strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws.” Also, in November, 2010, the American Medical Association resolved that “marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines.”

Emerging science suggests many benefits which are very well supported. Find out more on our Medical Marijuana Info Page.

Sixteen states – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – AND Washington DC have all enacted laws protecting medicalmarijuana patients from state prosecution. These laws are operating primarily as lawmakers intended and have not led to widespread abuses among adolescents or adult recreational users.

We believe it is unconscionable to deny this effective medicine to sick and dying patients and strongly urge you to support the medical use of marijuana in Ohio.

Thank You,

The Medical Marijuana Action Network Team