Ohio lawmakers reconsider legalization, medical marijuana for autism passes health board

Through Nina Zdinjak

The Secretary of the Ohio State’s Office confirmed that cannabis activists have collected enough signatures from registered voters to submit a marijuana legalization measure to the legislature.

What happened

The Office validated more than 10,000 pending signatures. Earlier in December, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol confirmed it had collected 206,943 signatures on a bill that would allow adults to buy and possess cannabis. It later emerged that they were missing more than 13,000 signatures to submit the initiative to lawmakers.

Photo by Bet_Noire/Getty Images

Now, with enough validated signatures, lawmakers have four months to proceed with legislation. If they reject the bill or agree to an amended version, supporters can collect an additional 132,887 signatures to put the measure on the ballot in the next election.

RELATED: Ohio cannabis advocates urge lawmakers to review marijuana legalization and file 206,000 signatures

Back in 2015, Ohio voters rejected a ballot proposal aimed at creating a limited legal market for the commercial production and sale of cannabis to adults. Several provisions of this measure were seen as controversial, including the one aimed at limiting the number of licensed commercial growers to only the initiative’s financial investors.

Highlights of the proposed bill

Under the proposed bill, Ohio residents age 21 and older would be legally able to purchase and possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of concentrates. You are also allowed to grow up to six plants individually and no more than 12 in a multi-adult household.

“We are ready and committed to working with Ohio lawmakers over the next four months to legalize adult marijuana use in Ohio,” CTRMLA spokesman Tom Haren said in a press release.

Medical marijuana for autism

Just last week, the Ohio House Health Committee passed bipartisan legislation that would add autism spectrum disorder to the list of conditions for which doctors can recommend medicinal cannabis, Cleveland.com reported.

RELATED: THC is more effective than CBD in treating autism, new preliminary study shows

House Bill 60 now goes to the House Rules and Reference Committee for a decision on whether to table it. Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat, said he’s optimistic the bill could get a vote in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.