COLUMBUS - Ohio lawmakers are taking early steps toward lifting Ohio's driving penalties for marijuana possession. A resolution up for a committee vote today declares the Legislature's opposition to a 1990 federal law that requires a six-month suspension or revocation of a driver's license after a drug offense conviction. That's the case even when the violation is a misdemeanor unrelated to driving, such as being caught with a small amount of marijuana. Passage of the resolution is the ammunition Gov. John Kasich needs to request federal clearance for Ohio to opt out of the law, as all but 16 states have already done. Followup legislation would be introduced once federal approval is granted to change Ohio's possession law. [continues 261 words]
Would Make It Easier to Give Anti-Addiction Medication to Help Users U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) was in Toledo today to generate support for a bill he's co-sponsoring that would make it easier to give anti-addiction medication to help heroin users break their heroin habit. The bill, still awaiting action in the Senate, would increase the number of patients who would be able to get methadone medication to help them break their drug habits in response to demand from opiate abuse. [continues 259 words]
Girl Brought Mixture in for Class Assignment An Anthony Wayne Junior High School student who said she mixed flour and sugar to simulate drugs for a classroom assignment has been accused of bringing the real thing to school. The eighth grader's parents, Kristine and Joseph Urenovitch of Whitehouse, went to court seeking an order that would prevent the school from suspending their daughter until the powdery mixture is tested in a lab by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Mr. Urenovitch, a lawyer who filed the complaint, said the rush to judgment -- and a proposed 10-day suspension -- was based on a preliminary field test conducted by Whitehouse police. [continues 605 words]
Attorney General Sees State Conflict The Ohio Attorney General's Office filed suit Tuesday against the city of Toledo, asking a judge to declare invalid several key sections of the city's new "Sensible Marihuana Ordinance." The legal challenge in Lucas County Common Pleas Court claims several portions of the voter-approved Toledo law, including restricting fines and incarceration for marijuana possession, contradict Ohio law. Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates and Sheriff John Tharp joined Attorney General Mike DeWine in the lawsuit. [continues 557 words]
Teens in Lorain County schools are creating this month for an awareness campaign with a message that young people do not need marijuana to succeed in life. Elaine Georgas, executive director of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services of Lorain County, said teens designed the campaign in the spring, "We don't need weed to succeed." The youth said there are better things to do with their lives than smoke marijuana, Georgas said. The contest encourages teens to create 20-second videos and ask their friends to like the videos on Facebook and YouTube or retweet them on Twitter to help promote resilience against peer pressure, she said. [continues 99 words]
In response to last Friday's letter "Smoking pot has ill effects on adolescents" from Dr. Peter D. Rogers, I do not disagree that smoking marijuana is harmful to adolescents. That is a scientific fact. What he does with this fact, however, is stretch it into an overly broad, sweeping opinion of all marijuana users. He mentioned that children showing up to his addiction clinic who smoked marijuana were doing poorly in school, drifting from their families and were unmotivated. That is a clear example of selection bias and does nothing to prove causal effects of marijuana smoking. [continues 116 words]
The Wednesday op-ed "Drug courts can help reduce recidivism" by Jack D'Aurora certainly offers a step in the right direction. However, it is only a step, not the final destination. I think we need to put up the white flag in the war on drugs. The most practical approach would be the legalization of most, if not all, of the illicit drugs. We have spent billions of dollars and seen innumerable deaths in the attempt to eliminate the supply and dampen the demand with little, if any, success. Production sites simply shift when confronted with possible destruction and demand remains unabated. [continues 172 words]
It's hard for parents today to know the best way to guide their children through the years of teen and young-adult alcohol and drug experimentation because so much has changed since today's parents were teens. Thirty years ago, a policy change mandated by Congress approving the National Minimum Legal Drinking Act forced the states to change their legal drinking age to 21. Ohio raised the drinking age from 18 to 19 in 1984 and to 21 in 1987, which is similar to what happened across the country. [continues 1408 words]
I respond to Wednesday's op-ed column by Jack D'Aurora regarding the use of drug courts to reduce Ohio's inmate population. D'Aurora pointed out many of the benefits of drug courts, but the need for specialized dockets extends beyond drug-treatment courts. I am proud to say that Franklin County's judges have been proactive in reducing incarceration and recidivism rates through the operation of seven specialized dockets, four of which are drug courts. In the Common Pleas Court, Judge Dana Preisse has operated the Family Drug Court in the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division since 2002 and the Treatment is Essential to Success (TIES) program has operated since 2004, with Judge Stephen McIntosh currently presiding. [continues 484 words]
GRANVILLE - The Granville Village Council is considering changes to the village code that would stiffen language that now appears to allow medical use of marijuana. If the proposal is adopted, it would align the language more with the Ohio Revised Code, which disallows use of marijuana for medical purposes. It also would make driver's license suspensions connected with marijuana offenses mandatory rather than discretionary. A public hearing will be conducted Sept. 3 for Ordinance No. 12-2014, which was introduced by the council Wednesday night. [continues 398 words]
There's no magic pill to cure the heroin epidemic but judges in Ohio think they may have found an injection that can at least put a big dent in the problem. Now Kentucky lawmakers will look at whether Vivitrol could work in Kentucky, where it hasn't been tried in the legal system. Hocking County, Ohio Municipal Court Judge Frederick Moses will talk to Kentucky lawmakers on Thursday in Lexington about the success he's had in his drug court with Vivitrol to help addicts kick the habit. [continues 797 words]
One way to gauge the depth of the heroin problem in the area is the increase in the use of Naloxone by local fire departments. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, and the Hamilton and Middletown fire departments are reporting an increased use of the drug at an increased cost to cities, officials said. Hamilton Fire Department personnel administered 432 doses of Narcan in 2013, and 342 doses in the first seven months of 2014, an increase of 13 doses per month, according to Mark Mignery, Hamilton's Emergency Medical Services Coordinator. [continues 780 words]
Legislative Committee Discusses Drugs From A Law Enforcement Perspective WILMINGTON - Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins joined a mix of state representatives, public officials and local law enforcement gathered in Wilmington City Council chambers Tuesday to discuss the state's drug abuse pandemic - and, in particular, heroin. A legislative study committee kicked off the start of a four-hearing series scheduled for various locations across Ohio in Wilmington Tuesday. The meeting was called for the purpose of discussing Ohio's drug problem from a law enforcement perspective. [continues 550 words]
Police and sheriff's departments have stepped up their enforcement against heroin crimes, but officials say it is too soon to know the effect of their increased efforts. Geauga County Coroner Dr. Robert Coleman said while there have been some potential heroin overdoses in the county in June and July, complete testing takes time, so final determinations have not been made on those deaths. Public awareness has certainly increased though, he said. "Is it really having an effect? It's too early to tell for sure," Coleman said. "It's been around for 3,000 years, so it's probably not going away any time soon." [continues 510 words]
Kentucky has a growing prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse problem, and the scope of the problem is shocking. Our state has the nation's third-highest mortality rate from drug overdoses, which are largely driven by prescription painkillers. According to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, about 1,000 Kentuckians a year fatally overdose on drugs -- that's more than are lost to fatal car crashes. Heroin deaths continue to climb and accounted for 32 percent of the drug overdose deaths last year. [continues 525 words]
A MILTON Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser thinks he has a plan that will help save teens from becoming the next wave of heroin addicts. After talking to dozens of addicts three months ago, Gmoser on Friday unveiled an initiative he hopes will take hold in the county's public and private high schools. In May, Gmoser set up a hotline and put out a call through the media asking for heroin addicts or recovering addicts to meet with him confidentially for a chat on what got them started. He said 85 percent of the cases coming through grand juries were heroin-related and he wanted to find a way to fix the heroin epidemic which county coroner's officials said is responsible for 64 deaths so far this year. [continues 618 words]
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Democratic attorney general candidate David Pepper on Wednesday backed a proposal that would give judges more leeway to sentence low-level felons to prison time instead of probation. Pepper, speaking at Ohio Democratic Party headquarters in Columbus, urged legislators to roll back a law that requires judges in most cases to offer probation to non-violent, first offenders charged with fourth- and fifth-degree felonies. The Cincinnati attorney was joined Rep. Nick Barborak, the Lisbon Democrat sponsoring House Bill 251, and local police union president Jason Pappas. [continues 366 words]
Dear Editor: Marion owes a debt of gratitude to Rep. Dorothy Pelanda for rounding up a state legislature committee to study drug problems in Ohio. We all know heroin and other illegal drugs are a cancer on our community and others in Ohio. We have seen increased law enforcement activity for which we are grateful. Rep. Pelanda will head a committee of 10 house members to work with law enforcement officials to learn about this problem from the ground up. Hopefully, it will produce some meaningful legislation and programs to attack the issue. Once again, Dorothy Pelanda is showing the kind of leadership we have come to expect from her. Nick R. Chilton Pleasant Township [end]
About 30 Butler County churches will come together in a three-day event this weekend in Hamilton to offer hope to heroin addicts and their families. The event, called Hope Over Heroin, will include a prayer march, testimony from recovering addicts, live music, free food and prizes. Former Bengal Bobbie Williams, who left the Baltimore Ravens after the Super Bowl win, is expected to speak on Saturday. "This thing is like a death angel. It's going into every house," the Rev. Josh Willis, an organizer, said of heroin. "We need to appeal to heaven because whatever we're doing here on earth isn't working very good." [continues 243 words]
Congress should change an outdated law that is hindering states in their battle against addiction Ohio's heroin and opioid epidemic has finally grabbed the attention of Congress. A recently introduced bill would expand treatment by changing an outdated law that restricts the use of Medicaid dollars to respond to addiction. The 1965 law bans Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and other medical providers that have more than 16 beds. The provision - called the Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion - probably made sense when Congress created Medicaid. Fifty years ago, the federal government aimed to discourage the warehousing of mentally ill patients. [continues 463 words]
OTTAWA COUNTY - Ottawa County first responders have a new weapon in the war on drugs and combating drug-related deaths from opiates, and it comes in a tiny class vile. Every Ottawa County Sheriff's deputy will carry two doses of Narcan, the brand name for nasal naloxone, a new nasal spray used to prevent and reverse a drug overdose from opiates, including heroin and methadone. In the event of a subject overdosing, a deputy will administer the spray into the nasal passages, effectively closing the opiate receptors and breaking the high. [continues 336 words]
Municipal Judge Nanette DeGarmo Von Allman has come to the conclusion that putting heroin abusers behind bars is not always the best solution - for the individual or society. Seated behind her desk, Judge Nanette DeGarmo Von Allman pointed to the various motivational photos and phrases that keep her grounded day after day, week after week. Those mementos help her as she meets with people who seem to be on a path of self-destruction - taking loved ones and strangers with them as they go. [continues 1015 words]
Columbus police and fire chiefs now are subject to random drug tests, a move safety officials hope will increase accountability and trust within the divisions. The city started the random tests for its highest-ranking officers a few months ago. It's the first time it has done so. Regular officers and firefighters have been subject to random tests for years. Safety Director Mitchell J. Brown's office said there wasn't a particular reason for the new testing other than to hold chiefs to the same standards as their subordinates. [continues 346 words]
Drug-Related Crimes in Rural Counties Fuel Increase Last month, Ohio set a record for the number of women behind bars, and drugs are to blame, officials said. State prisons director Gary Mohr said he is alarmed by the increasing number of women in prison, which hit an all-time high the week of July 7 with 4,160 women, eclipsing the record of 4,132 set the week before. The population first crested 4,000 in June 2013 and has typically remained above that number, regularly changing the record high, especially during the past two months. Drug charges in rural counties are fueling the increase, he said. [continues 943 words]
Marijuana has now been legalized or decriminalized in 17 states and the District of Columbia, with Maryland joining the list just last week. Ballot measures to loosen rules on marijuana use could come to a vote this year in at least five states. Twenty-one states already allow marijuana for medical use. What's unhealthy about this trend is that it coincides with a declining awareness of marijuana's dangers - especially among young people. Less than 40 percent of high school seniors think marijuana use poses a great risk, down from 55 percent in 2003. Cigarettes are dangerous, more and more adolescents have come to realize, but they don't believe marijuana is. (In fact, they're both unhealthy.) [continues 396 words]
The New York Times, a paper that has many times printed articles endorsing the prohibition of cannabis and editorializing in favor of continuing this prohibition has thrown in the towel. Sunday, July 27, saw the end of that position. The Times editorial board ran an editorial calling for the end of cannabis prohibition. The Times joins several conservative publications such as The National Review in this position. The Times rightly considered the evidence and decided prohibition is a failure and the time has come for full legalization on the federal level. Public opinion has moved on this issue over the last 20 years and at this time the majority of Americans favor, not just medical cannabis, but full legalization for the industrial, medical and recreational use of marijuana. [continues 439 words]
South Range schools have begun drug-testing students, specifically athletes in grades seven through 12 and students with parking permits. Superintendent Dennis Dunham said that to his knowledge, of the 320 students tested last Friday, no tests came back with positive results. The district is using a urine test for drugs and alcohol, and the program is being paid for by two local doctors. Those tested were athletes in fall sports, band members in grades nine through 12, and student-drivers with parking permits. Student-athletes are tested before their sport begins, and everyone else is tested before the school year begins. [continues 521 words]
Citizen proponents of various constitutional amendments, law changes, policy proposals and such must place their hopes and dreams on the back burners for another year, with none opting to submit signatures to push issues before voters in November as of this month's deadline. Backers of the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights said they had about 100,000 signatures of the 380,000-plus required to place their constitutional amendment before voters. They say they'll continue collecting signatures through the summer, with an eye toward November 2015. They also plan to open a Columbus office dedicated to the effort and organize a fall conference on election laws. [continues 278 words]
Amherst-Based ORG Says Flat Funds Killed Ballot Hopes An Amherst-based push to legalize medical marijuana and industrial hemp won't make it to the November ballot. "The good news is we obviously got well over 100,000 signatures," said Amherst Township resident John Pardee, president of the Ohio Rights Group. "It's probably going to end up in the neighborhood of 120,000 when it's all said and done." The bad news is that 385,000 verified signatures were needed to qualify for a statewide vote. [continues 379 words]
To the editor: As a 2012 alumnus, I have the upmost respect for the Amherst board of education and administration. I trust that implementing drug testing at Steele High School is being done with the best intentions. Nevertheless, I feel a responsibility to speak up in opposition to this new policy, for several reasons. First, random drug tests for students participating in extracurricular activities (or parking in the school lots) are an unwarranted violation of privacy. Second, studies have shown that drug testing in schools is not an effective way to curtail drug use. A study conducted by the University of Michigan looked at 891 schools, concluding that random drug testing had almost no effect on drug use. [continues 188 words]
Marijuana as medicine it is a term that is now widely used and widely accepted. It is a concept that has some singing the praises of this plant, claiming near-miraculous results from the use. When we really look closer, however, marijuana is more like one of those infomercials late at night that make claims of miraculous weight loss, stick-free cooking and unbelievably better skin. Those lengthy commercials all have the stories from "satisfied customers," who claim that the product not only delivers the specified results but makes other aspects of their own lives so much better. [continues 516 words]
There are currently twenty-three states (plus the District of Columbia) that have legalized marijuana for a wide range of medicinal purposes and many other states have put together legislation for some form of legalization over the years. Throughout history the marijuana or cannabis plant has been such a highly controversial topic; we tend to only think of one particular action involving its use, that being smoking. This thought process, along with a great deal of propaganda and anti-drug campaigns, has taught us to think of mostly negative connotations with regard to use of the plant. [continues 495 words]
Kevin Spitler runs the Toledo Hemp Center, a Sylvania Avenue storefront that sells products rich in CBD, a chemical found in hemp that's associated with pain relief and muscle relaxation. Kevin Spitler is Toledo's homegrown hemp entrepreneur. Mr. Spitler, 41, of Allegan, Mich., runs the Toledo Hemp Center. The small, white-walled Sylvania Avenue storefront sells everything from soaps and sprays to vapor pens and chewing gum, but all the products are rich in cannabidiol, or CBD -- a chemical found in industrial hemp. [continues 506 words]
Groups Aim to Legalize Responsible Use -- Medical and Otherwise Rob Ryan isn't shy about the medicine he said has helped him tremendously -- even though it's illegal. After a cancer diagnosis about 10 years ago, Mr. Ryan, now 60, began a regimen of the usual suspects. Chemotherapy and pills led to pain and weight loss. Then he added marijuana to the mix. He said the improvements were undeniable. At that moment, he realized the earlier things he'd heard about the banned drugs' ill effects simply were not true. [continues 1573 words]
The opioid and heroin epidemic has eclipsed the crack cocaine problem of the 1980s as a public health crisis and, as a result, the number of babies being born to opiate-addicted mothers is increasing at an alarming rate, including in the Toledo area. Government and health-care officials are struggling with how to manage the care of the drug-dependent babies. Their numbers are increasing each year and the costs of care are skyrocketing and straining the resources of hospitals in some Ohio counties, health officials say. [continues 1842 words]
About 10 days ago, our crime reporters heard a dispatcher announce on a police scanner that two bodies had been found in an apartment on the Northwest Side. Homicide detectives were on their way. Reports of a body being found are not uncommon, with people dying of natural causes, suicides, accidental drug overdoses and such. But two bodies? That's unusual. Typically, in cases where two bodies are found it's a murder-suicide or a double homicide, and that's news. [continues 460 words]
Society is increasingly coming to accept that marijuana has some legitimate medical uses. Though a bill to legalize it is still languishing in the Ohio General Assembly, medical marijuana is now allowed in 22 states, including Michigan, where voters overwhelmingly approved it six years ago. And those who love grass are also pushing for its legalization for recreational use. Colorado has effectively decriminalized pot. Up to a dozen Michigan towns may have largely symbolic proposals to decriminalize marijuana on the ballot this year. [continues 187 words]
Ethan Nadelmann, the chief architect of marijuana-legalization issues coast-to-coast, paused when asked if voter approval of medical marijuana in Ohio is inevitable. "A good ballot issue will win," he said. "The broader public support is there." But Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said a campaign won't happen here this year and probably not in 2015. The focus this year is on ballot issues in Oregon, Alaska and Florida, he said. "Support for medical marijuana is very high here," he said during a stopover yesterday in Columbus. "But there is a very negative attitude about (recreational) marijuana. Plus, it's a very expensive state to run a campaign." [continues 329 words]
This would be easy to overstate, but in comparison with much of the world, our country does a decent job of administering justice in a measured, equitable manner. Sure, there's lots of room for improvement. For example, blacks are considerably more likely to be executed or incarcerated than are whites who commit the same crime. We should work on this. Still, in a world that has at least 37 countries that outlaw homosexuality, at least 10 of which punish it with the death penalty, we do a reasonable job of administering evenhanded, let-the-punishment-fit-the-crime justice. Then there's Jacob Lavoro. Last week my local newspaper, the Austin American Statesman, reported that Lavoro, a 19-year-old from Round Rock, Texas, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. [continues 548 words]
This is the fourth article in a series that's focusing on heroin and related drugs' growth, prevention, treatment, distribution, law enforcement and policy in Athens County and southeast Ohio. For law enforcement, the battle against heroin is a battle against supply. Even illicit drugs follow the economic law of supply and demand. So while law enforcement in Athens County supports efforts to combat addiction and decrease the heroin customer base, the main task at hand is to cut off supply by going after heroin dealers. [continues 1045 words]
In his California laboratory, Kim Janda is amazed by the amount of heroin he can give to rats without killing them. Janda has created a vaccine that makes rodents immune to huge amounts of the drug and reduces the animals' urge to relapse into the dark hole of heroin addiction - a place all too familiar to a growing number of Americans. It is a ray of promise in the battle against opiate addiction. Drug overdose deaths - fueled primarily by prescription painkillers and heroin - have tripled in the United States over the last three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [continues 2941 words]
State Legislature, Health Organizations Tackling Addiction Issue. BUTLER COUNTY - More babies are being born dependent on illegal drugs each year in Ohio. Babies suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome - defined as a group of problems a baby experiences when withdrawing from exposure to narcotics - has increased six-fold from 2004 to 2011, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The number has risen from 14 per 10,000 live births to now 88 per 10,000 live births. "It's an epidemic that's sorely under-resourced right now," said Michele Stokes, clinical director of women's and perioperative services at Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital. [continues 1407 words]
In an effort to better understand the consequences of drug use in Lake County, the county's General Health District recently released a report on unintentional drug overdoses in the county. Partnering with Lake Health and the Lake County Opiate Task Force, the report details many different statistics about accidental drug overdoses, which saw an increase to 42 in 2013 compared with 36 in 2012, 37 in 2011 and 35 in 2010. Dr. David Keep, a pathologist at Lake Health and at the Lake County Coroner's Office, said he was inspired to gather accurate local overdose data more quickly, as the problem seemed to really increase around 2010. [continues 795 words]
To the Editor: If Ohio and American citizens honestly want to lower heroin addiction rates ("Heroin Scourge Mainly Hitting the Young," The NEWS, May 7), end cannabis (marijuana) prohibition. An important reason to end cannabis prohibition that doesn't get mentioned is because it increases hard drug addiction rates. It puts citizen who choose to use the relatively safe plant into contact with people who often also sell hard drugs. Further, government claims that heroin is no worse than cannabis and methamphetamine and cocaine is less harmful by insisting that cannabis is a Schedule I substance alongside heroin, while methamphetamine and cocaine are only Schedule II substances. [continues 53 words]
People in Colorado have a medical-marijuana law and a recreational-marijuana law. They also have the law of unintended consequences. For example, businesses that legally sell marijuana under state law sometimes have to spray their cash with air freshener or the banks won't accept it - because the money smells like marijuana and selling pot remains illegal under federal law, which regulates banks. A medical-marijuana patient in Colorado can't legally buy a firearm, faces potential eviction from federal housing projects and might be prohibited from receiving veterans benefits. [continues 356 words]
This is the third article in a series that's focusing on heroin and related drugs' growth, prevention, treatment, distribution, law enforcement and policy in Athens County and southeast Ohio. One of the more unsettling trends to emerge as the use of heroin has grown throughout the state, especially in rural Ohio, is that problems now involve a much younger group of individuals than was the case 10 years ago. Health Recovery Services Executive Director Dr. Joe Gay called the shift a "shocking pattern" in a 2012 report. [continues 785 words]
TOLEDO (AP) - A petition drive has begun to decriminalize the use of marijuana in Toledo. Members of Toledo's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws began collecting signatures on Tuesday to put the measure before voters. Mary Smith, a spokeswoman for the group, said supporters have collected 2,800 signatures so far and need 3,800 more to get the ordinance on Toledo's November ballot. The measure would prohibit police from citing or arresting someone for having, selling or using marijuana. It also would prohibit city prosecutors from trying marijuana cases. The drive is separate from a statewide effort to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio. [end]
BUTLER COUNTY - A grassroots effort to tackle the growing use of heroin in the community hosted a day-long workshop Saturday for affected family and friends. The Butler County Opiate Abuse Task Force, formed last September, brought in speakers to Miami University Hamilton Downtown to address the physiology of addiction and how it impacts the body, emergency treatment for overdoses, as well as offer up tips for better communication and advocacy skills. Susan Lipnickey, chair of the opiate abuse task force and a Miami professor, said the task force meets monthly and is broken into three areas: friends and family; treatment providers; and community and educati on. [continues 607 words]
TOLEDO - A petition drive has begun to decriminalize the use of marijuana in Toledo. Members of Toledo's chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws began collecting signatures on Tuesday to put the measure before voters. Mary Smith, a spokeswoman for the group, said supporters have collected 2,800 signatures so far and need 3,800 more to get the ordinance on Toledo's November ballot, according to WTOL-TV, (http://bit.ly/Qr8BL1). "We're ready now as citizens to have a fresh, mature discussion about the pros and cons of marijuana use and how our laws reflect that," said Sean Nestor, who's also with the group. The measure, known as The Sensible Marijuana Ordinance, would prohibit police from citing or arresting someone for having, selling or using marijuana. It also would prohibit city prosecutors from trying marijuana cases. [continues 195 words]
The group must collect 350,000 valid signatures to get a petition on the November ballot. Ohio Rights Group volunteer Mike Schreffler of Massillon used Election Day to try to collect signatures from voters to get a petition on the November ballot to legalize the use of medical marijuana and hemp. The group must collect 350,000 valid signatures, said Schreffler. Standing outside the polling location at Grace Community Church on Hankins Road Tuesday, Schreffler wasn't having much success. He had collected just three signatures in three hours earlier in the day, and came back out around 5:30 p.m. to try again. [end]
Inside Ohio
