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Rules on Medical Marijuana Use in Schools are Unclear

photo of medical cannabis
TERRI VERBICKIS
/
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Ohio law says medical marijuana can be used to treat specific conditions in children. But what happens when those kids need to take a dose of it while they are attending school?  The answer is unclear.

The chief legal counsel for the Ohio School Boards Association says some administrators have been asking about how to handle students who request to bring medical marijuana to school. But Sara Clark says right now, her group’s response to these “what if” questions is ask your lawyer.

“We are encouraging them to work with their board counsel. A lot of these questions are going to be done on a case by case basis, based on the individual needs of the students.”

Clark says the fact that marijuana is illegal under federal law is a consideration since schools receive federal funding. She says some states have added clearer laws for schools but, at this point, the OSBA is not asking the legislature to do that.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.