The Ohio House is expected to roll out a medical marijuana proposal today, while the Senate also is winding down its examination of the issue as the two chambers consider action ahead of a potential ballot issue this November.

The Ohio House is expected to roll out a medical marijuana proposal today, while the Senate also is winding down its examination of the issue as the two chambers consider action ahead of a potential ballot issue this November.

�I think this is going to be a joint effort,� said Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville.

The House and Senate have used separate hearings to gather information on the medical marijuana legalization effort.

�I think they�ve got somewhat of a consensus about what we�ll be talking about and what that consensus looks like,� Rosenberger said of the House task force.

Rep. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, and Sen. Dave Burke, R-Marysville, the point people on the topic, have been in regular contact. Burke has been working on a bill, but as of now, the Senate appears content to allow the House to start the legislative process.

�This will be a publicly driven process reflecting the will of the people,� Burke said. �It�s not about creeping special interests or using the word medical as a marketing tool.�

Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, said there is general support in the Senate to take action before June on a measure �narrow in scope.�

�I have concerns about some of the discussions we�ve had,� Faber said of talks with the House. But he hasn�t seen the House version that will be introduced today.

Key issues under debate include whether to allow homegrown marijuana, and whether to allow it to be prescribed in a smokable form.

Polls have shown strong support for medical marijuana in Ohio, and a number of lawmakers would like to take the steam out of efforts to have legalization engraved into the state Constitution via a ballot issue.

Three medical marijuana issues have been proposed as constitutional amendments.

The one most likely to make the ballot is backed by the Marijuana Policy Project, a national group already with a campaign team and successful record in other states.

�I take issue with a proposed ballot issue when the legislature is going ahead and moving forward with the process,� Rosenberger said. �Clearly I think it�s an effort that people don�t really care about the process. They just care about making the money.�

Dispatch Reporter Alan Johnson contributed to this story.

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