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Longtime Lawmaker Who Sponsored Med Pot Bills Reacts To House Passed Plan

The State of Ohio (Ohio Public Television)
Former Representative Bob Hagan (D)

When the Ohio House passed a bill to legalize medical marijuana, a former lawmaker was watching the floor debate online.

For 18 years, Bob Hagan had tried to get lawmakers to consider bills to legalize marijuana in some form. So the former longtime Democratic lawmaker says he was pleased when he saw Ohio lawmakers pass a bill to allow medical marijuana.

“I didn’t jump out of my seat and say, “finally, they’ve done it” but I did think after all of these years, they are heading in the right direction.”

Hagan says he’d like to see marijuana eventually legalized and decriminalized. Last fall Hagan supported the failed proposed constitutional amendment that would have created ten growing sites and allowed marijuana for medical and personal use. A new survey by Quinnipiac University shows 90% of Ohioans support medical marijuana and more than half support legalizing it for personal use.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.