Ohio

Ohio legislature won't take on marijuana law tweaks: “there's just not that consensus”

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2024

Ohio legislature won't take on marijuana law tweaks: “there's just not that consensus”

With adult-use marijuana sales in Ohio on track to start in early fall, the window for state lawmakers to retool the state’s pending recreational program is closing. But Republican Ohio House leaders said the legislature can’t and likely won’t find common ground on the issue.

Voters approved Issue 2 in November, legalizing recreational marijuana, allowing each household to grow up to a dozen plants, and creating a 10% sales tax that would be split among a state social equity and jobs program fund that would help people who’d been harmed by previous marijuana convictions, communities with dispensaries, addiction treatment and administrative costs. The statute took effect in December, but the regulatory system to permit sales wasn’t expected to be in place for months.

About six hours before possession, use and home growth became legal, a bill to make some changes cleared the Ohio Senate 28-2. It would have cut the limit on household plants in half to six, increasing the tax to 15% and sending the revenue to law enforcement training, state-run funds on substance abuse treatment and prevention and on safe driver training, and the state’s general revenue fund.

But the House didn’t move that proposal or its own version and negotiations across the chambers seemingly broke down, and since then, there’s been little movement. It’s not for a lack of discussion among the majority party, House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said last Tuesday.

“Getting those to where we have a consensus of saying, ‘This is what needs to be different than what the people passed,’ there’s just not that consensus right now, and it’s not a contentious thing,” Stephens said.

But administrative rulemaking by the Division of Cannabis Control, under the Ohio Department of Commerce, is moving ahead on the timeline outlined in Issue 2. Under the current plans, the first round of licensure applications—reserved for existing medical retailers to get dual licensure—will go live in June.

Since February, the division has submitted batches of draft regulations for consideration. Some are scheduled for hearing in front of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review this month.

“It will play out as the voters passed it, for now,” said Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington). “I am not very optimistic that there will be some large, cannabis bill that comes out of these chambers, maybe some small changes around the edges.”

Those tweaks, Russo said on Tuesday, could include expungement and safety proposals.

For months, Gov. Mike DeWine has routinely urged lawmakers to pass regulations outside the rulemaking process. Before the Senate voted on their package of proposals in December, DeWine called an early evening press conference backing them.

“What we don’t want is a situation where the black market grows and we don’t want a situation really where people don’t know what the rules are, and we just need to get this done,” he said then.

One of the biggest modifications would have enable licensed medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling products to non-medical customers within 90 days of the governor’s signature—much sooner than the present timeline put forth under Issue 2.

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Ohio

Maybe Ohio State AD Ross Bjork should sit in regular-guy seats, wait in line, etc.

Published

7 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Maybe Ohio State AD Ross Bjork should sit in regular-guy seats, wait in line, etc.

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio Stadium

Mr. White: My wife and I are longtime OSU football season-ticket holders, and after receiving the survey email from OSU, reading Rob Oller’s comments regarding the stadium restrooms and, finally, your published letters, I have a few comments. Rather than having our athletic director and his entourage review the consolidated survey responses from ticket holders and view the recommendations of potential actions to take, why don’t they personally experience what we season-ticket holders do? This coming season I suggest they divide up and sit individually in the seats we common folks sit in (no premium seating or seats between the 20-yard lines) and experience what it’s like to stand up to let other ticket holders pass by for their seats, standing in line for concessions and the time they had to wait to use the restrooms. At a game last year, I left my seat with three minutes left in the first half to use the restroom and get my wife and I some snacks and bottled water. The lines were so long that I returned to our seats halfway through the third quarter. My wife attempted to contact me, but the weak Wi-Fi did not allow her messages to go through. I believe an experience such as this would provide the AD and his staff more valuable feedback than a filtered survey.

Benny Wolfinger, Powell

To Benny: Great “average fan” angle here. Have AD Ross Bjork sit with you during a game and fetch snacks for the family midway through the third quarter, then fill out the survey. Hopefully his response to y’all isn’t “Buy a suite.”

On high school football

To the editor: Thank you for the Sunday Huddle topic “Greatest of the Great“ central Ohio’s best high school football player. A comparison is highly subjective, recognizing the different era and positions as well as supporting cast. Archie Griffin was Eastmoor’s nearly total offense his junior and senior years. When the game would start, the loudspeaker announcer would say “Archie Griffin carried the ball.“ Then after two or three carries it was “Archie Griffin.“ A couple more handoffs and it was “Archie.“ He would carry about 30 times a game, with the defense knowing exactly who was carrying the ball. The only unknown was which side of the line.

Bob Weiler

To Bob: The poll is still open and getting great response. At this writing, Upper Arlington’s Jeff Backes leads with 40% of the vote, followed by Griffin (22.8%), East’s Chic Harley (8%) and Central’s Hopalong Cassidy (7%).

On hockey

To Brian: Will someone please explain to me why fighting is allowed − even condoned − in the sport of professional hockey? Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. players who engage in fisticuffs are routinely ejected from games, probably fined and possibly suspended. In hockey, fighting is simply a penalty. Witness the photo on page 4C of (the April 22) Dispatch, showing Blue Jackets’ Mathieu Olivier and Bruins’ Mark Kastelic mixing it up. Almost every face in the crowd is either smiling or laughing − no looks of disgust or outrage − and the two referees are simply standing there watching, making no move to break it up.

To those who would answer my inquiry by saying it’s just part of the game, my response is that’s why I hate it. I wouldn’t go to a hockey game if you gave me free tickets and offered to take me to the venue in a limo.

Mike Adamkosky, Columbus

To Mike: Hockey people swear by it as a great means of self-enforcement. I don’t get it. Never will.

On Ohio State football

To Brian: The recent Dispatch article citing Caleb Downs’ complaint of Michigan teaching players to hold is laughable. Of course they do, as on every team. OSU doesn’t? Has Downs actually watched any football games at any level lately? Pro, college, high school −makes no difference. There is literally holding on the line of scrimmage on every play if you watch closely. The holding call is only made when the holding is so incredibly obvious that a nearly blind person could see it, and then sometimes it still is not called. If all actual holding by players was called, the game would literally grind to a halt. It’s the same in basketball with carrying the ball or the the NBA four step in the drive to the hoop. There are rules against it, but it’s seldom if ever called. Come to think of it, nowadays there are no carrying or palming the basketball calls period.

Chet Ridenour Sr, Worthington

To Chet: I have never seen a fan base whine about holding more than Ohio State’s. And now Downs is just fueling it more. Every team holds. And they should as long as it’s not getting called.

To Brian: The Browns have had 13 head coaches (two interim) since the new era began in 1999. Kevin Stefanski could only make two wild-card slots in the last six seasons. Since Cleveland’s NFL debut in 1950, 69 different quarterbacks have started, including Baker Mayfield and former Ravens’ veteran Joe Flacco. Both got the Browns into the playoffs. The Browns overall win pct. is .503, yet only .334 since ’99 (146-290-1); just four winning seasons. A new coach or QB won’t improve their chances. The weather, injuries and inconsistency are chronic issues. So, build a retractable dome and use it for multiple events. Could a Myles Garrett-for-Quinn Ewers trade “save” the beloved Browns?

Larry Cheek, Dublin

To Larry: Weather, injuries and luck have nothing to do with the Browns’ misery. It is bad decisions, and getting Ewers for Garrett would fall right into that pile.

On Indiana football

To Brian: I was disappointed to see so many empty seats at Indiana football’s spring game. While it was on a weeknight and opposite the NFL draft, it was free and they certainly had something to celebrate. But I surprised to see enthusiasm for the miraculous success they now enjoy was underwhelming.

Dennis Singleton, Dayton

On Michigan basketball

To the editor: As a gracious Buckeye, I tip my cap to the team up north for winning the NCAA championship. Sorry, Woody, a title is a title. Hang the banner. Sure, the roster looked more like a free-agency convention than a student body. Call them transfers, call them mercenaries – call them champions. In today’s world, the line between locker room and ledger sheet is pretty thin. They played. They paid. They prevailed. Congratulations. And while I will debate teamwork and toughness, only the accountants and the IRS will know the real final score.

Michael Oser, Upper Arlington

Ohio Highway Patrol investigating fatal head-on crash on U.S. Route 62

Published

19 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Ohio Highway Patrol investigating fatal head-on crash on U.S. Route 62

PERRY TWP. ‒ Two people were killed and a juvenile was injured in a two-vehicle, head-on crash the morning of May 16 on U.S. Route 62, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

A 2019 Ford Ranger was traveling northbound when the vehicle traveled left of center and struck a southbound 2021 Honda Odyssey at 7:16 a.m., the patrol said. The Ford was operated by Cole Scholey, 21, of Beach City, and the Honda was driven by Kelly Kemp, 56, of Massillon.

Scholey was taken by the Perry Township Fire Department to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he died. Kemp was pronounced dead at the scene. A juvenile occupant in the Honda was transported to Aultman Hospital with serious injuries.

Neither Scholey nor Kemp were using safety belts, the patrol said. Speed is suspected as a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

Route 62 southbound lanes, south of Navarre Road, were closed for about three and a half hours.

The patrol was assisted at the scene by Perry Township and Massillon police, Perry Township and Erie Valley firefighters, Ohio Department of Transportation, Stark County Coroner’s Office and Tracer’s Towing.

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Ohio

Central Ohio native reflects on path to fame

Published

1 day ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Central Ohio native reflects on path to fame

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — He’s won an Emmy, two James Beard Awards and has published best-selling cookbooks. Ted Allen’s rise to fame led him on an unforgettable path.

“I think there’s a lot of luck in life, but also a little bit of hustle certainly doesn’t hurt,” Allen says.

That mentality has driven Ted his entire life. His life began in 1965 in the Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Ted’s father moved the family to central Ohio for his work as a CPA.

“This all started out in a small apartment on Broad Street.” Ted days. “Later in Columbus, we lived on a street called Conestoga Drive. The view from our front yard,I could see them building up the soil, the berm to create the beltway that now exists around the city of Columbus.”

The Allen family moved to Indianapolis when Ted was 7. He went on to earn college degrees in psychology (from Purdue) and journalism (from NYU), but it was his passion for food and wine that drove his career path.

“Chefs are in the business of making happiness, as are winemakers, and they also tend to do it in really exciting or very beautiful places,” he says. “The whole food and wine world is in pursuit of happiness and joy. And who doesn’t want to be a part of that culture?”

Allen became a writer for Chicago Magazine and Esquire. While at Esquire in 2003, he got an audition for a new reality-style show on Bravo: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

“I was the only one who wasn’t from New York City. I’m from the Midwest, as you know. I was from Columbus, Ohio, and I didn’t talk like them. I was different.”

Allen earned the role of food and wine expert in the cast, and the show went on to win an Emmy Award. His profile soared.

“Grateful again, nothing but grateful. It was a trip getting famous.”

That led to Ted’s next big break as the host of one of television’s longest-running shows. He’s hosted nearly 1,000 episodes of “Chopped” and other Food Network shows under the “Chopped” brand. He’s also published best-selling cookbooks.

Ted and his husband, Barry, met while they were both working in Chicago, and oddly enough, Barry was also born in Columbus. He still has family members in central Ohio.

Allen’s traveled the world, but in his trips back to Columbus, he’s found world-class culture.

“I tasted the food and thought, I’m in Soho, New York,” he says. “This was a moment when it really gelled for me that the culinary revolution of the United States is certainly not confined to New Orleans, San Francisco, New York. It is everywhere. And Columbus was an excellent example of that. The food was just killer.”

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