COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Aspiring medical marijuana growers can begin applying for Ohio licenses in June, the Ohio Department of Commerce told a state advisory panel Friday.

The department is overseeing selection of 24 qualified cultivators to start, one of numerous steps involved in launching a medical marijuana program set in motion by a new state law enacted in June 2016.

The law allows people with 21 medical conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, HIV/AIDS and epilepsy, to purchase and use marijuana after getting a doctor's recommendation. The law doesn't allow smoking.

Officials f...