Now that medical marijuana legalization has passed, the Ohio Rights Group is turning its attention toward educating medical professionals about the healing potential of cannabis.

Oberlin native John Pardee, group founder, kicked off that effort Monday night with a fundraiser at Town Hall restaurant in Cleveland where $4,500 was raised to send doctors, nurses and medical students to a Medical Cannabis Education Symposium in Columbus at the end of the month.

The goal is to fund 20 students, said Brandon Bashak, an Elyria resident and deputy director of North Central Ohio NORML, a group with a mission to shift public opinion on pot legalization.

A lot of confusion and misinformation still surrounds the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, according to state and industry experts.

In March, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on the business benefits and challenges of Ohio’s medical marijuana law.

House Bill 523 authorized a basic framework — legalized medical marijuana for qualifying medical conditions, but prohibited its use by smoking or combustion — and made Ohio one of 28 states to establish a public medical marijuana program. But it left state agencies to establish specific rules and guidelines.

In both West Virginia and Ohio, it’s official: Breaking the law is not against the law — at least when marijuana is involved.

Both states have legislation making use of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, legal for health care purposes. West Virginia’s measure was just signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice. Ohio’s has been in effect for some time, but state officials are still working out the details.

But possession of marijuana in any form is illegal under federal law. That puts our states, in concert with 26 others that have “legalized” medicinal marijuana, in the position of advocating behavior that is criminal by federal statute.

Medical marijuana will be grown on up to 24 licensed sites statewide -- subject to some of the highest fees in the country -- under the final rules presented to lawmakers Monday.

The cultivator portion of the rules, which also details the application and license fees for retail dispensaries, product processors and testing labs, cleared the Ohio legislature's Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review without objection from the panel.

The rules will be officially filed later this month and take effect before the May 6 statutory deadline.

The cost of doing business as a medical-marijuana provider in Ohio isn’t going to be cheap. And that’s probably a good thing.

State regulators organizing the infrastructure for what will be the state’s medical-marijuana regulating body have said that licenses for businesses involved in growing and selling marijuana under a law approved by state voters in 2016 will be more expensive than in many other states that allow medical marijuana.

The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program plans to charge a $20,000 application fee and $180,000 license fee for larger growers, and a $2,000 application fee and $18,000 license fee for smaller growers.

The Ohio Department of Commerce announced Friday that medical marijuana growers can start applying for Ohio licenses as early as June.

The application and the license both come at a hefty price — but a Boardman native believes it’s a business venture worth exploring.

Brian Kessler lives in Los Angeles, but is from Boardman.

His company, SBL Venture Capital, invests in marijuana and has been advocating to bring medical marijuana to Ohio for years.

“I’m very excited,” Kessler said. “The fact is that we’re now moving down the path. They chose the process where they’re looking for 12 small growers and 12 large growers.”

Kessler said the medical marijuana market is extremely competitive.

He wants Youngstown to have a stake in the business.

Florida

There’s a lot going on in Tallahassee as Sunshine State legislators forge the regulatory framework for Florida’s medical marijuana program.

Senators appear poised to advance legislation (SB 406) to welcome five new cannabis dispensaries to Florida by October. At least one would be minority-owned. Friday’s measure also requires four additional dispensaries within “six months after each instance of the registration of 75,000 qualifying patients with the compassionate use registry.”

That 75,000 figure is dramatically less than the previous threshold of 250,000.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich discounted recent studies and state lawmakers from both parties on Thursday when he said his state’s medical marijuana program would not help alleviate its opioid crisis.

While at a news conference announcing new limits on opioid prescriptions, a reporter asked Kasich what role medical marijuana might play in reducing the increasing number of opiate overdose deaths in Ohio, according to Cleveland.com.

Medical marijuana proponents worry that initially restricting laboratory testing to public universities could stall Ohio's fledgling program.

Ohio's new law on medical marijuana prohibits private laboratories from testing medical marijuana's properties for one year. During that time, public universities would test medical marijuana produced within the state to ensure its safety for consumers.

The problem? No other state tests medical marijuana like this. That's because many university officials are wary of losing money from a federal government that still labels marijuana as among the most dangerous, illegal drugs – at the same level as heroin and ecstasy.

Ohioans who want to start a medical marijuana business here urged regulators on Monday to issue the few lucrative cultivator licenses to Ohio residents only, at least initially.

As it stands now, the Ohio Department of Commerce plans to award up to 12 large grow licenses and 12 small grow licenses statewide, based on criteria including a company's business plan, security measures and industry experience.

Proof that the company is headquartered in Ohio, owned by Ohioans and plans to hire in-state workers factor into the review but are not required.

Kelly Mottola, who owns Hydro Innovations in Hilliard, said out-of-state companies will want to bring out-of-state workers.