Eighty-seven percent of Ohio voters think that people should be able to use marijuana as medicine, although nearly all of the currently elected state officials, including Gov. John Kasich, disagree.

However, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, some of the candidates running in November’s election — Ed FitzGerald (D), David Pepper (D), Micah Kamrass (D), and Charlie Winburn (R) — believe marijuana use should be legal with a doctor’s recommendation.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="220"] Ed FitzGerald[/caption]

“There are people that are suffering from conditions that medical marijuana can alleviate, especially those chronic pain types of conditions, “ FitzGerald, struggling Democratic candidate for governor, said in a telephone interview. “I just think that it would show a real lack of compassion if we would continue to deny them that access.” “As long as it’s done under the supervision of a doctor… I think the risks associated with medical marijuana are outweighed by the benefits,” he stated.

Other candidate’s stances seem to follow suit. Fellow Democrat David Pepper, the Anderson Township Democrat running for attorney general, also supports legal medical marijuana use. He views it as a way to curtail the extensive use of prescription painkillers, which can lead to fatal overdoses. In addition, Micah Kamrass, the Sycamore Township Democrat running for the 28^th Ohio House District in northeast Hamilton County, supports legal medical marijuana use if it ensures that people get the care that they need when extremely ill. Charlie Winburn, the Republican Cincinnati city councilman running for the Ohio Senate’s 9^th District, is leaning towards supporting the legal use of medical marijuana under a doctor’s care, especially to aid in relieving the pain and suffering caused by cancer or glaucoma.

Unfortunately, the prospect of a medical marijuana initiative getting passed this November is unlikely. Proponents of medical marijuana lack legislative support, though they have started circulating three separate ballot initiatives. The Ohio Rights Group, whose amendment has gained most momentum, has gathered only 100,000 of the required 385,000 signatures needed to secure the amendment on the November ballot. The group is now targeting the November 2015 ballot.

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Ohio has recently seen increased support for allowing adults to choose to consume marijuana, according to Cincinnati.com. Public opinion nationally is at an all time high, with 54% in support of making marijuana legal, and this has prompted many officials, including law enforcement, to reconsider the issue. Chris Lindsey, legislative analyst for MPP, attributes the changing attitudes to Americans viewing marijuana as less dangerous, saying they “realize [marijuana] is a much safer alternative to alcohol. It doesn’t lead to violence and harmful effects.” In addition to this, many view the “war on marijuana” to be futile, including a number of law enforcement officers.

Roger Moore, the Chief of Police in Chillicothe, Ohio, believes that marijuana is like alcohol and should be treated similarly. He believes that in light of the opiate epidemic that many places across America are facing, marijuana offenses are minor at best. Moore says, "I believe it's just like alcohol. Just because you drink beer doesn't mean you drink hard liquor ... Those that do marijuana, they do marijuana. There's plenty of people who don't smoke marijuana who do heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. (Marijuana enforcement) is not what my priority is in Chillicothe, it's heroin."

In Ohio, possession of 99 grams or less is a non-criminal citation, and residents can possess up to seven ounces of marijuana before facing any felony charges. Despite these relatively lenient penalties, prosecuting adults for marijuana in Ohio continues to saddle citizens with unnecessary criminal records at enormous costs in law enforcement time and resources.

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