State Rep. Dan Ramos, D-Lorain, released a statement following U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to reverse an Obama-era policy that instructed federal law enforcement to take a hands-off approach on the legal sale and possession of marijuana in states which approved its use, according to a news release.
“We passed a bipartisan medical marijuana law in Ohio for one specific reason: to help sick people. More than half of the states have done the same because evidence continues to show that this plant does have medicinal properties that can, and do, help people. From vets with PTSD and to children with seizure disorders to people with M.S. or chronic pain, this substance provides real relief.
“This is a constitutional issue. Ohio’s program is designed to grow, test and sell medical cannabis entirely within the state of Ohio. As this issue will not permit interstate commerce, the federal government has no grounds to meddle in our state’s affairs. It is unconscionable when so many are dying of opioid overdoses that the federal government would waste taxpayer dollars to combat legally regulated medical cannabis.
“I will be introducing a resolution in the Ohio legislature to remind the president and his administration, including the attorney general, that it is within our state’s right under the 10th Amendment to enact this program.
“If the Trump administration isn’t interested in helping sick people who benefit the most from medical marijuana, they should at the very least get out of the way of the majority of states that want to help.”
Ramos served on the Ohio Medical Marijuana Task Force, a legislative committee that was instrumental in researching, writing and recommending passage of House Bill 523, which legalized the limited use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in Ohio in 2016, the release concluded.