From The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Thursday, March 13, 1977, page 3

HOUSE PASSES DRUG REPEAL Marijuana loophole to go

By James Drew Blade Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS Despite urgent please from those who use marijuana to blunt
chronic pain from cancer and other diseases, the Ohio House yesterday voted
to repeal a law that provides a legal defense for medical pot smokers.

After two efforts failed to send the bill back to committee for more work,
the House voted 6433 to repeal the medical marijuana law. The repeal moves
to Governor Voinovich, who is expected it into law.

The bill would void the 1996 law that allows a person to offer the defense
that possession of marijuana is permissible if a doctor has provided a
written recommendation to use the drug for medical purposes.

Among those who urged the legislature to keep that provision in state law
was Toledoarea resident Daniel Asbury, who suffers from painful muscle
spasms caused by a spinal injury.

A judge suspended an 18 month prison term for Mr. Asbury of Oregon, who was
convicted in 1996 of trafficking in marijuana. Twelve marijuana plants were
found in his yard.

The Toledoarea lawmakers who voted against repealing the medical marijuana
law were state Reps. Jack Ford (D., Toledo) and Darrell Opfer (D., Oak
Harbor).

Urging fellow lawmakers to oppose repealing the law on the "grounds of both
mercy and necessity," Mr. Ford noted that he ran a drug and alcohol abuse
treatment agency in Toledo for 20 years.

"I would do nothing to increase the problem of substance abuse in the state
of Ohio, absolutely nothing." Mr. Ford said. "This will have no impact on
increasing marijuana use, particularly by our young."

He said the legal system has the "safety valve" that sometimes people do
things out of "necessity" such as selfdefense.

"We have people who are very sick, who are going to die a more painful
death unless we intervene," he said.

But state Rep. James Mason (R., Bexley) said the bill would correct a
mistake that lawmakers made last year when they approved the medical
marijuana provision as part of a 1,000page overhaul of the state's
criminal sentencing guidelines.

Mr. Mason said the provision didn't place any limits on the amount of
marijuana possessed.

"If we're talking about 200 kilos, the statement of the defendant could be,
'Well, man, I was stocking up for the long haul of pain and suffering
ahead'." He said.

But state Rep. Frank Sawyer (D., Butler) said his family obtained marijuana
to help soften the pain of his sister, who was diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer in 1980 and died from the disease. A doctor suggested that she use
marijuana., he said.

"My family members broke the law and my sister broke the law. You would do
the exact same thing that my family did," Mr. Sawyer said."