Medical Marijuana in Ohio -Legal or Not?

Medical Marijuana in Ohio -Legal or Not?

Celina, Ohio (March 26, 2020)- For medical marijuana patients Peggy and Glen Keeling life has been an anxiety filled nightmare since they were “busted” on October 31, 2017. The Keeling’s are a soft spoken, community oriented; married couple with kids- your typical family next door.
Glenn has been treating Crohn's disease with medical marijuana and Peggy has been treating Multiple Sclerosis as well. Both of these diseases can and often are debilitating on their own but more so when you add the side effects associated with pharmaceuticals often used to treat them. One can only imagine their relief when Ohio legalized medical marijuana and allowed for a legal way to obtain medicine until Ohio’s program was up and running. Glenn and Peggy chose cannabis as a legal option for relief as they understood it.  In June 2016, “Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 523 to legalize the medical use of cannabis in Ohio The system was required to be fully operational by September 2018, with the Ohio Department of Commerce to make rules for cultivators by May 6, 2017, to issue rules and regulations for cultivators, and the remainder of rules to be promulgated by October 2017.[10] In the interim, patients with one of 21 qualifying conditions were permitted to go to Michigan or another state with legalized medical cannabis, legally acquire cannabis there, and bring it back to Ohio for use in accordance with Ohio law house.” Peggy and Glenn both obtained Medical Marijuana cards from Michigan in accordance with the law until Ohio medical marijuana cards would be available. The state allows the couple to possess 450 grams which is a 90 day supply and they were well within the guidelines, possessing only 71 grams of cannabis medicine.
Despite the Keeling’s abiding by their state medical marijuana laws and the presiding judge authorizing both Glenn and Peggy to continue using “medical marijuana under directions of treating physician” filed with the courts on June 13 2018. both are facing  multiple felony charges and lengthy prison sentences. Fast forward 2 years 5 months and Glenn and Peggy are still fighting their case. Mercer County prosecutor Matt Fox has refused to drop the charges and is pursuing a jury trial. 
Glenn's thoughts on legal marijuana have shifted over the last 2 ½ months “Legalization is not what we should be fighting for ….”