Pharmaceutical Marijuana should be the focus of a Marijuana discussion

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In western Ohio, we know a lot about growing crops to feed the world and we have no interest in plowing under good soybeans, corn, and wheat, to trade in our combines for a Marijuana Grow Site. Marijuana legalization promises societal concerns and an economic shift, which if not monitored could be devastating. This discussion around medical marijuana should look to the problems of other states and focus only on establishing a legitimate medicine market in an above-board healthcare pharmacy.

To further encourage the study of the medical benefits of marijuana, we need to remove the roadblocks to research. The legislation that the Ohio legislature is currently reviewing will encourage Congress to change marijuana from a schedule I drug to a schedule II. This is important because that change will make it better for legitimate scientific research to explore the possible benefits of this plant. Until the federal government makes research more accessible it would be hard to determine if there are any medical benefits to the product.

So-called “medical marijuana” is an atrocity in other states where smoke-able medical marijuana is available on street corners from legal “dispensaries”. States like California and others have done medical marijuana wrong; they are allowing anyone and everyone to get high in the name of medicine. It’s a sham and Ohio can do better. We should be focusing on pharmaceutical marijuana only; talking about products that can’t be smoked and won’t let a patient get high. These types of products might have true, proven medical justification.

There are cannabis products in development that experts believe can help true medical conditions, and science is going to allow us to produce these medicines without THC, the chemical that causes a high. Drugs like Marinol and Cesamet are synthetic drugs used to treat AIDS and cancer patients who do not respond to conventional treatment. These kinds of drugs are regulated and cannot be smoked. Pharmaceutical marijuana should be derived from the medical benefits observed from these two drugs.

As this discussion continues, I will be working to ensure we keep marijuana gummy bears, brownies and smokeable marijuana off our streets and away from our children. Any efforts to the contrary are misguided and ill-informed. To learn more please visit tinyurl.com/buchystandingstrong

Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchymay2016

This undated photo provided by the Ohio House of Representatives shows Rep. Jim Buchy. he Ohio House is expected to consider a bill that would shield the names of companies that provide the state with lethal injection drugs. Buchy is one of the bills sponsors. The bill is among several the House planned to vote on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 as lawmakers finish work for the two-year legislative session. The Senate passed it last week. (AP Photo/Ohio House of Representatives)
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2016/05/web1_18f02dca703f7e31680f6a7067004435CMYK.jpgThis undated photo provided by the Ohio House of Representatives shows Rep. Jim Buchy. he Ohio House is expected to consider a bill that would shield the names of companies that provide the state with lethal injection drugs. Buchy is one of the bills sponsors. The bill is among several the House planned to vote on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 as lawmakers finish work for the two-year legislative session. The Senate passed it last week. (AP Photo/Ohio House of Representatives)

By Rep. Jim Buchy

Rep. Jim Buchy can be reached by emailing [email protected] or calling 614-446-6344. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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