Pubdate: Thu, 28 Feb 2013
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2013 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: Alan Johnson

ANTI-DRUG GROUPS LINING UP AGAINST AMENDMENT

A medical-marijuana amendment might or might not be on the ballot in 
Ohio this fall, but opponents are already spoiling for a fight.

Representatives of several anti-drug groups spoke at a Statehouse 
news conference yesterday, blasting the idea of putting legalization 
of marijuana for medical use to a public vote.

Kevin Sabet, a senior adviser to national drug czar Gil Kerlikowske 
from 2009 to 2011, said prescribing marijuana for medical purposes 
isn't a bad idea if it is in pill form, but it's wrong to use "smoked 
marijuana under the pretense of medicine."

Nationally known as a crusader against medical marijuana in the 
traditional form, Sabet said existing drugs, and others in the 
testing stage, contain the key chemical components of marijuana but 
are dispensed in pill form. One such drug is Marinol, often 
prescribed for cancer and AIDS patients.

It seems unlikely that Ohioans will vote this fall on either of two 
separate medical-marijuana issues approved last year by the Ohio 
Ballot Board. The board cleared the way for supporters of the Ohio 
Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2012 and the Ohio Alternative Treatment 
Amendment to begin gathering the 385,245 signatures of registered 
voters needed to qualify for the ballot. The groups have until July 6 
to submit names.

But neither group has reported much success in fund-raising or 
signature collection.

In fact, backers of the Medical Cannabis Amendment have re-grouped 
and re-named the organization OhioRights.org. Mary Jane Borden, a 
representative of the group, said it will submit a new petition to 
the state in a few weeks that will include legalized growing and use 
of hemp, a plant related to marijuana that is grown in Canada but is 
illegal in the U.S. She said the group hasn't decided whether it will 
still aim for an amendment on the fall ballot.

Sabet said the experience of 18 states and the District of Columbia 
where medical marijuana is legal show that just 5 percent of those 
receiving the drug have severe medical problems. He said analyses 
show the typical user is "a 32-year-old white male with a history of 
drug-abuse problems and no major medical history." Ailments for which 
marijuana was most often prescribed were headaches and stress.
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