The House Select Committee on Medical Marijuana kicked off its initial hearing Tuesday with plenty of questions about a bill that seeks to create a strictly regulated system in Ohio. State lawmakers are trying to get ahead of potential marijuana legalization amendments that could make the November ballot.

The House Select Committee on Medical Marijuana kicked off its initial hearing Tuesday with plenty of questions about a bill that seeks to create a strictly regulated system in Ohio.

State lawmakers are trying to get ahead of potential marijuana legalization amendments that could make the November ballot. Each legislative chamber has been working on the issue, and the House likely will act within the next two or three weeks.

Rep. Ryan Smith, R-Bidwell, a leader in the House GOP caucus and member of the select committee, said the framework of House Bill 523 is �well thought out and a good starting point,� but he still has more questions than answers right now.

Smith�s southern Ohio district has seen massive increases in drug overdoses in recent years, making him sensitive to drug issues. He said he�s still looking for people to convince him that marijuana is necessary for medical treatment.

�Like most people, my heart goes out to the parents of particularly little ones who think this could help,� he said. �I�m willing to have the conversation.�

Smith said he wants to know how narrow the bill needs to be � for example, he favors a ban on prescribing the smoking of marijuana, a concern also raised by some Senate leaders. He also wants to better understand CBD and THC, the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant.

�Is there a way we can offer it to people who need it in a form that�s acceptable for medical purposes?� he said. �But coming from where I have, the time we�ve spent fighting this drug epidemic, I�m going to be very guarded in what I can support going forward.�

The bill would not allow home-grown marijuana, and those who want to join any level of the growing and distribution process would be subject to background checks. It also would require physicians to report every 90 days how many marijuana prescriptions were written and why.

Members asked a variety of questions, including about the proposed nine-member Medical Marijuana Control Commission that would create rules and oversight for farmers, dispensaries, labs to test the plants and physicians. The commission, appointed by the governor, would include representatives of physicians, law enforcement, drug treatment, mental health and marijuana legalization.

This weekend, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana. The law does not allow smoking.

Asked about the Ohio State Medical Association�s opposition to the bill because it �draws conclusions about the medicinal benefits of marijuana absent conclusive clinical research,� Rep. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, an emergency room doctor who is carrying the bill, said he agrees.

But the medical association also said the House bill has some good provisions and preferred legislation to a ballot issue.

�I agree with them: Let the medical process decide about medical marijuana,� Huffman said. �But we�re a ballot initiative state and we need to lead.�

A number of lawmakers would like to take the steam out of a November ballot issue.

Allowing home-grown marijuana, Huffman said, would be pseudo-recreational. �We�re trying to keep this bill for medical marijuana.�

Additional hearings this week will be held at 3 p.m. today and 11 a.m. on Thursday. Three more hearings are expected next week.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

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