By Troy Pierson / Broadcast version by Mary Schuermann reporting for
the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

As marijuana becomes more mainstream, some legislators want Ohio to join the growing list of states legalizing the drug for recreational use. House Bill 210, which would legalize recreational marijuana, is co-sponsored by Democratic state Representatives Sedrick Denson of Cincinnati and Terrence Upchurch of Cleveland. Their bill would also allow for the expungement of some convictions and for marijuana to be grown at home.

While the bill is unlikely to pass, Denson said, its presence promotes awareness and attracts media attention, so more people can be educated on this topic.

"We have to look at the progressive states that are seeing the benefits and are opening up a whole new industry for business opportunities, and it's working," Denson said. "The sky's not falling, and things are not falling apart in those states. We have got to be progressive and be out there -- I know it's a long haul, and it's an uphill conversation, but the reality is that my responsibility is to put this bill out there and force my colleagues to have that conversation."

With the explosion of new markets as more states legalize recreational marijuana, proponents of legalization believe Ohio will soon follow suit.

While the state legalized marijuana for medicinal use in 2016, high prices for products have resulted in medical card users traveling to such nearby states as Michigan to purchase products at lower prices. This hurts Ohio's medicinal marijuana industry, which has led some legislators and other advocates to encourage the legalization of recreational marijuana in this state.

There was an attempt in 2015 to legalize recreational marijuana in Ohio through a ballot initiative, but the measure failed, with nearly 64% of voters opposed and 36% approving.

If the initiative had passed, it would have monopolized the industry to benefit a small number of investors and companies. Afterward, the state passed the Ohio Initiated Monopolies Amendment, also known as Issue 2, which prevents any new monopolization attempt for future ballot initiatives.

Legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Ohio would lead to a significant expansion of economic growth, said Douglas Berman, the executive director of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University. The emergence of new markets would also allow for an increase in the number of dispensaries in Ohio's major cities, which could strengthen local economies and create jobs. The increase of sales would allow for increased tax revenue for the state as well.

Republican politicians are the main hurdle preventing recreational marijuana legalization through the General Assembly, but this narrative is changing as more Republicans warm up to the idea. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich approved the passing of medicinal marijuana legislation in Ohio; more recently, U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, sponsored a legalization bill in the U.S. House of Representatives in May that would take marijuana off the federal list of controlled substances.

Drug prevention groups, however, continue to advocate for keeping marijuana illegal, highlighting the negative aspects of the drug, such as increased car crashes and accidental ingestion by children. Fran Gerbig, executive director of the Prevention Action Alliance, said Ohioans need to understand the impacts of the recreational industry and how it can affect communities, as legal products offer a higher amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the psychoactive element in marijuana -- than products contained when all marijuana was illegal.

"It's important to know that it's not that we are condemning the substance per se; we feel there's not been enough research and that we don't know the true impact of cannabis on the health and wellness of an individual," Gerbig said. "Cannabis currently has a higher THC content, and that is an unknown. It's being cultivated to provide a hallucinogenic effect, and it makes me fearful for the health and safety of individuals."

Recreational marijuana legalization in Ohio will happen at some point within this decade, said Cleveland cannabis lawyer Tom Haren. The question is whether the state will legalize it before the federal government takes the drug off the controlled substances list.

If marijuana is legalized in the state first, it would allow for Ohio-based businesses to be founded and existing businesses to grow without competition from companies outside the state. Once marijuana is legalized at the federal level, however, other companies from out of state can then sell their products in Ohio through interstate commerce.

Also, if the federal government legalizes marijuana before the state does, Ohio could face a number of regulatory problems.

"If marijuana is no longer a controlled substance, it means it is no longer illegal to possess, traffic or distribute and sell it," Haren said. "You still would have within the medical program a highly regulated system, but then you would have a separate unregulated and legal market where even children [for example] could go and buy marijuana. There would be no age requirement, no potency requirement, no testing requirement, no licensing requirement, no background check requirement, no setbacks for schools or churches, public playgrounds [and] libraries. Literally overnight, Ohio could be in a very difficult position if we are not proactive in anticipating the change that is going to come at the federal level."

Legalized marijuana would lead to a series of changes, Berman said, on how the substance is regulated by law enforcement.


This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

In Robeson County, the opioid crisis is exposing the need for increased addiction support. The Southeastern Prevention and Addiction Recovery Resource Center is tackling the issue by bringing together more than 70 organizations into a unified recovery network.

Jackie Davis, SPARC director, says its goal is to streamline services and improve access to comprehensive support.

"Robeson County has a high rate of usage, and so one of the main challenges has been services and then organizations and agencies working in silos," Davis said.

She added that before SPARC, local agencies were isolated in their efforts. Now with funding and support in part from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trusts, she said community-based initiative is fostering cooperation to better serve the people of Robeson County, with plans to secure ongoing funding and improve access to care.

Davis said SPARC provides critical resources such as training, educational support and help securing opioid settlement funds. She said these efforts have improved patient care and developed long-term recovery strategies tailored to the community's needs.

"Health disparities here, we just want to reduce or even eliminate if we can, because we know that there are major differences from rural areas to urban areas or larger cities, and we just want better for our community," she said.

She noted that future goals include addressing transportation barriers to ensure access to services and ensuring sustainability through continued funding and support for member organizations.

By Adam Pinsker for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

THC retailers across Indiana are being warned they could be violating Indiana law by selling cannabis products containing more than 0.3% of the chemical Delta-9, which can have an intoxicating effect and may cause some side effects.

Although no Indiana law regulates Delta-9, the Indiana Attorney General's Office issued an opinion in 2023 defining Delta-8 and Delta-10 as Schedule I drugs.

Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt says violators could be charged with a high-level felony.

"I personally felt the fair way to deal with this was to send a letter to all the businesses and advise them of the attorney general's ruling, and to give them some time to get these products off their shelves," the prosecutor based in Terre Haute said.

Modesitt estimates from 30 to 40 retailers in the county along I-70 on the Illinois border - many of them gas station convenience stores - are in violation.

"We've actually had our drug task force, since I've sent this letter, going around checking businesses," he said.

Modesitt said until state lawmakers pass legislation clearly defining how much cannabis can be sold in Indiana, he'll have to enforce the laws based on the attorney general's opinion.

Indiana State Police investigators secretly bought THC products and found some of them were mislabeled. In other cases, they found Delta-9 products had more than the 0.3% of THC allowable under a federal law passed in 2018.

State officials and CBD retailers have also expressed concerns that some THC products may have chemicals added to them.

Scott Hughes, co-owner of WildEye Lounge dab bar in Indianapolis, said he and his business partner, Nick Brown, test all of their cannabis products. "To show there is no heavy metals, to show there is no pesticides in the product, which we do regularly with all of our products before we release them."

Hughes urges customers to do their homework before purchasing any CBD product.

"You're not going to go to your mechanic to ask why your knee hurts. You're not going to go to your doctor to ask what is wrong with your car," Hughes said.


Adam Pinsker wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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President Joe Biden is urging stricter penalties for drug smugglers to combat the fentanyl crisis nationwide. Meanwhile, North Carolina District Attorneys are focusing on local strategies to address the epidemic's effects in their communities.

In 2023 alone, an average of 12 people died every day from overdoses, according to North Carolina's Chief Medical Examiner.

Jeff Nieman, district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, emphasizes the urgent need for action.

"What I see with fentanyl is a drug that accelerates the addictiveness and deadliness of substance use disorder," Nieman explained.

He argued there is a critical need for comprehensive strategies combining prevention, enhanced treatment options, and robust community support. On a federal level, the President will ask Congress for tougher penalties on drug traffickers and more regulations on substances related to fentanyl.

Todd Williams, district attorney for Buncombe County, echoes the need for a comprehensive approach. For him, it means intercepting fentanyl at the community level and holding traffickers accountable, while also expanding recovery services. Williams said he has already seen positive effects in his county through drug treatment courts.

"The program set up to provide for multiple chances at recovery," Williams emphasized. "All while ensuring that the offender is very well supervised and supported, and is not reoffending; not committing new crimes."

Both district attorneys touted the progress North Carolina has made, from creating a Fentanyl Task Force and passing an anti-money-laundering statute, to securing opioid settlement funds through Attorney General Josh Stein's office. Nieman stressed the measures are critical for supporting community efforts.

"He brought over $1 billion into the state of North Carolina," Nieman noted. "That's North Carolina in general, but the way that the settlement is structured, so that money is brought down to the local community, so that local leaders can decide how best to use that money to combat the crisis. That's key for us."

The Biden-Harris administration is also launching an "information partnership" with financial institutions, law enforcement and national security officials to crack down on drug trafficking and disrupt their means of financing.


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