Lobby your Ohio legislators on February 7

Published: January 25, 2007

The Ohio Patient Action Network (OPAN) an MPP grantee will hold a lobby day to generate support for medical marijuana legislation. Please join medical marijuana patients and health care advocates at the Statehouse in Columbus on Wednesday, February 7, to urge your legislators to sponsor medical marijuana legislation.

There are many new legislators in Columbus who are not familiar with medical marijuana, so we need to educate them about it. The most effective way to educate legislators is to meet with them personally.

If you are interested in participating in this vital lobbying effort, please contact Zane Hurst by e-mailing zane@mpp.org for details. If you or someone you know is suffering from a debilitating condition or if you are a medical professional, a member of law enforcement, or a public official, your presence during the lobby day could be tremendously influential. Please remember to dress and act professionally; we want to engage legislators, not alienate them.

If you are unable to come to the Statehouse on February 7, you can still take action by sending a letter to your legislators urging them to sponsor medical marijuana legislation this year. We've provided sample letters to get you started, but a personally crafted letter is much more effective than a form letter. Please take a moment to personalize the letter before sending it to your legislator. Please take action now.

Last session, Senator Robert Hagan (D-Youngstown) sponsored legislation that would permit the medical use of marijuana by patients with qualified medical conditions under a doctor's supervision. This legislation would have protected patients, their caregivers, and their doctors from the threat of arrest and prosecution for using or possessing medical marijuana. Sen. Hagan is now in the Ohio House of Representatives. MPP is working closely with OPAN to ensure that Rep. Hagan introduces this legislation in the House this year.

It is time for our elected officials to enact sane and compassionate legislation that puts an end to the prohibition of a substance that offers healing and hope to so many who have severe medical conditions and who may have no other successful treatment. We hope that you will be able to attend the lobby day on February 7.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to your friends and family in Ohio so that others can stand up for the state's most vulnerable residents.