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Ohioans for Medical Marijuana Ends Its Push for the November Ballot

photo of medical marijuana sign
FLICKR

The campaign is over for a group that was pushing a constitutional amendment that would have legalized medical marijuana in Ohio and that was critical of the bill to legalize medical pot that the Legislature passed on Wednesday. 

Lawmakers passed a medical marijuana bill that Ohioans for Medical Marijuana said fell short because it didn’t allow for home growing or smoking and limited the conditions for which pot could be recommended by doctors. But spokesman Aaron Marshall now says that bill is a big reason why his group’s campaign is over.

“Raising money for medical marijuana policy changes is incredibly difficult. And given the improvements that were made late in the game by the Legislature, and the fact that the governor’s expected to sign it, it’s just a tough road forward for us.”

House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger said in a statement that this is welcome news and an indication that lawmakers will respond to the will of Ohioans.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.