Pubdate: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Copyright: 2012 The Columbus Dispatch Contact: http://www.dispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93 Author: Justin Conley Note: Justin Conley is a fellow in the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Statehouse News Bureau. MEDICAL-MARIJUANA BACKERS SEEK FUNDS Initiative Would Create 9-Member Panel to Set Rules The Ohio Medical Cannabis Association has planted the seed for a ballot initiative that would put the question of medical marijuana to Ohio voters this November, and now it is working to ensure those efforts bear fruit. The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment would make Ohio the 17th state to legalize marijuana for treatment of patients with a variety of diseases that cause chronic pain, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and spinal-cord injuries. In a news conference yesterday, Len Toma, 58, a Cleveland-area business owner, said he had tried every medical option to treat chronic pain caused by his peripheral neuropathy since being diagnosed in the mid-'90s. Despite visiting every major hospital in the Cleveland area and taking high doses of morphine, Percocet and muscle relaxers, Toma said the pain forced him to leave his job in 2005. He also tried alternative therapies such as hypnosis and acupuncture. It was his psychologist who first suggested marijuana as a treatment about three years ago. "At that time, it just didn't seem to be conceivable that that was something that I would do - I have two children at home," Toma said. Just two years later, Toma said he tried marijuana and found that it allowed him to sleep through the night, alleviated his muscle spasms and allowed him to reduce the dosages of his morphine and muscle relaxers. "It has really made a difference in my life," he said. Language for the proposed initiative was approved by the Ohio Ballot Board in January, and now sponsors must gather 385,245 signatures from registered Ohio voters before July 4 to make the Nov. 6 ballot. Theresa Daniello, a leader of OMCA, said the organization currently is fundraising, and volunteers are scheduled to begin collecting signatures in May and June. The ballot board cleared a similar proposal, the Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment, in October 2011 to begin collecting signatures for this November's ballot. The proposals differ in how medical marijuana use would be implemented. The Alternative Treatment Amendment includes language that would limit how much marijuana an individual could possess, where it could be sold and the fees attached to buying and selling. The Cannabis Amendment establishes a commission to make those decisions. Mark Ramach, general counsel for OMCA, said the commission is the best option for Ohioans. "Yes, there are other groups in this state working toward that, but we feel that our language provides the best avenue for patients to ensure their rights are kept and to ensure that the industry is controlled in a way that is flexible, but yet stringent," Ramach said. The commission would include three registered voters, two licensed practitioners, one licensed farmer, a representative of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and two licensed attorneys. Geoff Korff, a Salem lawyer involved with the Alternative Treatment Amendment, previously told The Dispatch that he is uncomfortable with leaving the specifics to a commission and thinks some reconciliation will have to take place before November. Though the proposed initiatives have significant differences, patients such as Toma are keeping an eye on the ultimate goal if the initiative passes. "I wouldn't be buying something off the street where I don't know what I'm getting," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom