GOP Bill To Amend Ohio's Medical Marijuana Program Opposed By Advocates And Dispensary Owners

A bill recently introduced to the Ohio legislature would set up a 13-member medical marijuana (MMJ) oversight commission and a new state agency.
The bill’s sponsors, State senators Stephen Huffman (R) and Kirk Schuring (R) argued the existing MMJ program is failing. “There are approximately 324,000 Ohioans who are registered,” Schuring recently said. But, “only about 160,000 are actually using the program.”

However, Ohio Medical Cannabis Industry Association (OMCIA) and other advocates oppose the bill, reported Mahoning Matters.

The OMCIA Argument

Matt Close, who leads the OMCIA, Daniel Kessler, Riviera Creek's CEO, Peg Hollenback founder and managing partner of BeneLeaves and Bryan Murray, executive VP of government relations at Acreage Holdings Inc. ACRDF say legislation needs to change, per Cannabis Business Times.

They argued that the legislation should focus only on increasing accessibility and patient participation instead of expanding licenses and cultivation slots. "The last thing we need is more supply. Instead, legislation should focus on addressing our industry's most significant challenge: excessive barriers to patient participation," Close said.
This measure “punishes companies like mine that have invested hundreds of millions of development dollars into our state," Kessler said. "Instead of reducing bureaucracy, this bill does the opposite by adding an additional level of oversight in the form of a commission of lifetime political appointees.“Where there’s not enough market and not enough patients.”

About The Bill

Under Senate Bill 9, the Medical Marijuana Oversight Commission would oversee the Division of Marijuana Control, which under the bill, would fall under the Ohio Department of Commerce.
The legislation would also expand the list of qualifying conditions for which cannabis can be recommended. It would include autism and opioid use disorder, to name a few. The measure is waiting for its third committee hearing in the Senate.

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Photo: Courtesy Of Matthew Bornhorst On Unsplash