**Related Video Above: Ohio Republican lawmaker introduced marijuana legalization bill for all adults 21+ in October.**
COLUMBUS (WJW) — A new Ohio Senate bill would expand who is eligible for medical marijuana in the state if passed into law.
Proposed by Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Senate Bill 261 would add the following medical conditions to the currently approved list: Autism spectrum disorder, arthritis, migraines, terminal illness and any other conditions approved by a licensed doctor.
“The provisions in this bill are about improving the treatment options for patients,” Huffman said in a statement.
The new bill would also allow for more the drug to be “processed and dispensed” in more forms as well as offer more opportunities for those looking to get into the medical marijuana business.
Ohio’s medical marijuana program was legalized in 2016 and implemented in 2019. The program only continues to expand, with 72 more dispensary licenses made available and three new conditions added to the approved list earlier this year.
At this time, only a doctor can recommend a patient for the medical marijuana program in Ohio.
The following medical conditions are currently approved for medical marijuana:
- AIDS
- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- cachexia
- cancer
- chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- Crohn’s disease
- epilepsy or another seizure disorder
- fibromyalgia
- glaucoma
- hepatitis C
- inflammatory bowel disease
- multiple sclerosis
- pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable
- Parkinson’s disease
- positive status for HIV
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- sickle cell anemia
- spinal cord disease or injury
- Tourette’s syndrome
- traumatic brain injury
- ulcerative colitis
Find out more about the proposed legislation right here.
