By:
Charles Feldmann, Esq.
Last week, Ohio Governor and former Republican presidential candidate John
Kasich legalized medical marijuana in the seventh most populous state
in the country. In doing so, Kasich has not only given a huge boost to
the cannabis movement, but also cleared the way for a new medical marijuana
market and numerous business opportunities. Ohio, a swing state, is now the 26th U.S. state to legalize viable medical marijuana programs. With medical
cannabis legalized in more than half of the nation, Kasich’s action
could be the tipping point that could push Congress to catch up on this
rapidly advancing policy area.
In a June 10th article published by Marijuana Business Daily™, Attorney
Charles Feldmann pointed out that while the DEA may not expressly react to state-level
moves on cannabis legalization, Ohio’s new MMJ policy is one more
reason to anticipate that marijuana could soon make the move from a Schedule
I to Schedule II substance. “The magic number of 25 is significant,”
said Feldmann, a former DEA agent. “But if you remember, the DEA
last year said that they had all the information that they needed for
this report that’s coming out.”
Congress still needs to pass legislation that would protect banks and other
licensed operations that work with marijuana businesses in states where
it is legal, as well as facilitate medical research on the effects of
marijuana. According to Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada, “Whether
one considers it a states’ rights issue, a criminal justice issue,
or a basic fairness issue, we must move ahead.”
Medical marijuana has made huge progress in just a few short years, indicating that things
are heading towards federal legalization sometime in the not-so-distant
future, although there are still many hurdles to overcome. With legalization
in Ohio, more members of Congress are likely to support, or at least begin
paying attention to, ending federal prohibition of cannabis.
Source:
Week in Review: Ohio Medical Cannabis Legalization a Possible Tipping Point
Questions? Contact Feldmann Nagel Margulis’s marijuana business attorneys
at (888) 458-0991.