Enquirer editorial board

Now that the Ohio House has passed a plan to provide patients with medical marijuana by 2018, it's up to the Senate to fine-tune the legislation to make sure lawmakers get it right.

State senators are expected to vote this week on the historic proposal, which would allow Ohioans older than 18 to buy edible marijuana, patches, plant material and oils with their doctors' recommendation. Patients will not be allowed to grow their own marijuana at home, nor will they be allowed to smoke it. They could use a vaporizer, which heats marijuana into a gas or steam rather than burning it to smoke.

It's not a perfect plan, but it's pretty good, and the legalization of medical marijuana is overdue. Adults and children suffering from a number of terminal or chronic diseases need marijuana yesterday to soothe or reduce symptoms. Patients like Addyson Benton, who has myoclonic epilepsy. The 4-year-old Butler County girl became a household name after her family spent their savings and moved from Liberty Township to Colorado simply to treat Addyson's disease with medical marijuana, the only medicine that effectively controlled her frequent seizures.

House passes medical marijuana plan in historic vote

Under the House plan, children younger than 18 could use medical marijuana with a parent's permission and doctor's recommendation. Perhaps Addyson and her family can come back home if Ohio becomes the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana.

The time is right for Ohio to take this step. Polls show that 90 percent of Ohioans support medical marijuana. After the defeat of Issue 3 in November, this editorial board called for a medical marijuana proposal to go back on the ballot this year. It was, and still is, our belief that Ohioans approve of some sort of legalization just not the complications that came along with Issue 3.

We are pleased that the General Assembly finally decided to stop stonewalling and confronted this issue, especially when many marijuana proponents were skeptical that they would. We just hope this isn't a case of the legislature doing the absolute least possible to keep more permissive medical marijuana proposals off the fall ballot. Passing something unworkable or a half measure would probably only speed up the petition process of advocacy groups to get a marijuana proposal on the ballot this November or at worst in 2018.

Lawmakers have to get this proposal right and get it right now. We see the plan overall as a positive but would like to see the Senate change at least one provision prior to passage: Employers shouldn't be able to fire employees solely for having marijuana in their systems when it has been prescribed by a physician. It's doubtful an employee would get fired for having Oxycodone, Hydrocodone or some other doctor-prescribed painkillers in their system, so why single out medical marijuana?

Workers should not have to choose between staying employed or staying in pain, earning a living or quality of life.

Patients: We want medical marijuana

State Rep. Alicia Reece of Roselawn voted against the House bill primarily because of this issue. Reece said she feared more people, especially African-Americans, would be fired for testing positive for medical marijuana. It's a reasonable concern considering reports that show black people are arrested for marijuana possession far more frequently than white people despite using it in roughly equal amounts.

The safety, liability and productivity concerns of employers are certainly understandable. Those under the influence of marijuana or any sensory-impairing drug shouldn't be driving, operating heavy machinery or working in factory-like environments where it's critically important to be alert at all times. Employers also should have the right to maintain a healthy, drug-free workplace.

But what we need here is common sense and compassion for those suffering from illness. There should be ways that employers can accommodate their employees' medical needs other than a pink slip.

Lawmakers should also reconsider forbidding patients from smoking medical marijuana. It is scientifically proven that inhaling through the lungs is the fastest way to get the medication into a patient's system. Denying patients this option for the sake of aesthetics or because of the stereotypes associated with "sparking up a joint" is unfair. And without any real way to monitor, it probably won't stop patients from smoking in their homes anyway.

We urge the Senate to reconsider these aspects of the proposal as they move toward a vote on medical marijuana. The bill could wind up on Gov. John Kasich's desk by the end of the month, and the governor has said he would support a medical marijuana proposal if it were properly written and there was a need for it.

We know there's a need. Let's make sure that what's written is the proper and best legislation for Ohioans who are crying out for medical marijuana as a treatment option.

What's allowed in Ohio's medical marijuana plan?