Evento

"Medical Marijuana: Truth and Consequences"

This November's ballot will likely offer voters the chance to determine whether marijuana use should be legalized and The Free Clinic is offering some enlightened dialogue about how such a law could impact our region's workforce, health care delivery options, safety considerations, research and commercial prospects, taxing options, and more before the issue becomes reality.

On Thursday, June 4, from 8:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. (registration opens at 7:30 a.m.), The Free Clinic is presenting a community forum to examine lessons learned from other places that have implemented some form of legalized medical marijuana and to help Ohio prepare for such an eventuality should well-publicized efforts to pass a voter initiative on the subject prove successful. The forum will take place at the InterContinental Hotel & Conference Center, 9801 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland. The seminar cost is $25; $15 for students who present an ID, and includes continental breakfast. Valet parking service is free.

The forum will consist of an overview of the topic of legalizing medical marijuana; a keynote address from the Associate Dean for Professional Education in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Colorado; a panel discussion on some of the intended and unintended consequences that have resulted in other parts of the country; a panel discussion on the economic impact surrounding the issue, real and projected; and a debate on whether medical marijuana will improve public health in Ohio between representatives from the Drug-Free Action Alliance and ResponsibleOhio, two entities in strong opposition to one another on the question of legalization.

The Free Clinic has not taken a formal position on this issue, and the forum is not intended to advocate for or against passage of any proposed legalized marijuana initiative. Rather, it is designed to provide a rational, fact-based dialogue regarding the relevant issues that such a dramatic legal and policy shift in Ohio would entail.