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Bill Meant To Correct Flaws In Ohio's Medical Marijuana Program Draws Mixed Reactions

Statehouse News Bureau

Ohio’s medical marijuana program is supposed to be fully operational on September 8. But there are court battles over problems with the process of choosing cultivators. Some fear it might delay the start of the program. 

Republican Senator Bill Coley says patients need Ohio’s medical marijuana program to be ready to go on day one. So he’s come up with legislation that would allow a do-over in the scoring process.

“You’d rescore with independent people who don’t have conflicts doing the scoring. And you’d look at all of the scores and anybody that scored above the lowest the current provisional license holders, if they scored above the current provisional license holders, they’d be granted an additional license," Coley says.

But some lawmakers, like Democratic Senator Kenny Yuko, are not on board.

“It would be challenging, timewise, to get anything passed," Yuko says.

Yuko says the focus now needs to be moving to get the program in place by September 8th.

Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.