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Questions About Constitutionality Of Ohio's Medical Marijuana Law

Statehouse News Bureau

Ohio’s new medical marijuana law is set to go into effect in September but questions are being raised about its constitutionality.

Republican state Senator Bill Seitz says part of the new law specifies minorities fill a certain number of slots in growing and processing marijuana that would be used for medicinal use. He questions the constitutionality of that practice.

“We don’t have strict quotas on doctor licenses, lawyer licenses or engineer licenses so I guess some would question why are we having that as applied to marijuana licenses?”

Seitz says he tried to get this requirement removed as the bill went through the legislative process but couldn’t. The bill cleared the Ohio Senate by only three votes.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.