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 MEDICAL-MARIJUANA 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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