Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 - 01:43 PM Updated: 06:35 PM

By Donna Willis

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Medical marijuana proponents were
Downtown Wednesday to support a proposed law, NBC 4
reported.
Supporters gathered at the Statehouse to show they
back the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Senate Bill 343 would allow patients to legally grow
small amounts of the drug for personal use.
The bill was proposed earlier in 2008 and if passed,
would make Ohio the 13th state to legalize the drug.
Proponents said the law has not caused problems in
the other states where it has passed.
"If don't use it, fine. This is not a problem. No one
is advocating that you use it. That's between you and
your doctor. But for those who that their doctor
feels it may help them, they ought to have the right
to use it," Jayson Jones with the Ohio Patient Action
Network.
Opponents worry the bill would promote abuse and
without strict regulations allow drug dealers to hide
under the name of medical marijuana distributors.
Author of the bill, Sen. Tom Roberts, said there are
safeguards in place to avoid those problems.
More hearings on the bill are expected in 2009.

Source: Proponents: Medical Marijuana Hasn't Caused Problems - News - nbc4i.com -