Ohio lawmakers look into medical use of pot

Ohio voters convincingly rejected the marijuana-legalization proposal on November’s ballot, but state lawmakers will explore the possibility of allowing the use of pot for medical purposes only.

Multiple polls have shown strong support for the concept of medical marijuana. The Ohio Senate and House will announce as early as this week a series of bipartisan hearings across the state to gauge Ohioans’ feelings on what that system might look like.

Absent from those discussions, though, will be the idea of legalizing pot for recreational purposes or the wholesale and retail infrastructures that were blamed for the failure of Issue 3 on Nov. 3.

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Sen. David Burke, a Marysville, Ohio, pharmacist and Republican whose district stretches north to Sandusky Bay, is not a fan of marijuana.

But he said the General Assembly must look at the issue rather than allow someone else to use the state constitution to go around lawmakers as occurred in 2009 when voters legalized casino gambling.

“There is more support among Ohioans for medical marijuana than there has been in the past,” said Mr. Burke, the Senate’s frontman on the issue. “I believe it is prudent that the General Assembly function as it should and reflect the will of our constituents.”