Ohio
Why haven’t Ohio recreational marijuana sales started yet?
Over 100 Ohio medical cannabis dispensaries could sell recreational marijuana soon, but they still have a few boxes to check
The future of marijuana legalization
Here’s what you need to know about the future of marijuana legalization in the United States, from its racist beginnings to today.
Over 100 Ohio medical cannabis dispensaries are on their way to selling recreational marijuana − but they still have a few boxes to check before sales can begin.
The Division of Cannabis Control began accepting applications last month from medical marijuana businesses that want to participate in the adult-use market. Ohioans voted last year to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older, but the licensing process for operators couldn’t begin until the division finalized those rules.
More: What you need to know as Ohio prepares to launch recreational marijuana sales
As of Thursday, the state had issued 112 provisional dual-use licenses to dispensaries and 78 to either cultivators, processors or testing labs. Businesses with a provisional license must do the following before regulators grant final approval:
- Notify local officials and law enforcement.
- Train employees.
- Ensure security equipment is up to date and meets state standards.
Dispensaries must also pass a test to show they can properly distinguish and sell medical and adult-use products.
It’s unclear how long the process could take. Some industry officials initially predicted a June or early July launch, but that timeframe already passed. Division of Cannabis Control spokesman Jamie Crawford said the turnaround depends on how quickly applicants can meet the various requirements.
Business owners still expect recreational sales at existing dispensaries to begin sometime this summer. The state is required by law to approve dual-use licenses for medical marijuana operators by September.
Dispensaries will likely be busy in the weeks after they launch recreational sales, but many have increased staffing to meet the demand, Cresco Labs spokesman Jason Erkes said.
“The state has been running this at lightning-fast speed compared to other launches − provisional licenses a week after applications were submitted is unheard of,” Erkes said. “This is a big effort with a lot of compliance and regulatory requirements and while it might seem like hurry up and wait, I know the Commerce Department wants to make sure it’s done right instead of done quickly.”
Separately, the Division of Cannabis Control has received nearly 200 applications for brand new dispensaries known as 10(B) licenses. Under the law passed last year, large cultivators can apply for three dispensary licenses at new locations, while smaller growers get one. Medical dispensaries that aren’t affiliated with a cultivator or processor are eligible for another dispensary license.
Those stores will take more time to get off the ground, potentially not opening until sometime next year.
See which dispensaries have dual-use provisional licenses below:
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
Ohio
Statehouse encampment speaks to revolutionary spirit in Ohio country
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Ohio Statehouse West Lawn and North Grounds are set to the air of an American Revolution military encampment from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The camp enables visitors to step back in time to experience sights and sounds such as Captain Joseph Ogle’s Company of the Ohio County, Virginia militia in action and feel the energy of the Heritage Fife and Drums as they fill the air with the stirring music of the Revolution.
Ohio
2 arrested at Ohio State pro-Israel event featuring IDF soldiers
Demonstrators gather at Ohio State to protest Israel-Hamas war
Several student and community groups attend a demonstration at Ohio State University Wednesday evening protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Two individuals were arrested on Ohio State University’s campus April 14 during an event held by a pro-Israel student organization, the university confirmed.
The event, which was hosted at the Ohio Union by the OSU chapter of Students Supporting Israel, was part of the “Triggered: From Combat to Campus” speaking tour. The tour features Israeli Defense Forces soldiers “sharing firsthand stories from October 7th and beyond,” according to Students Supporting Israel’s website.
“The name plays on the irony of campus outrage, where many students were ‘triggered’ not by Hamas’ terror, but by Israel’s defense,” according to the website.
Two IDF soldiers were scheduled to speak at the event, held at 6 p.m. inside the Ohio Union.
In response to the event, Students for Justice in Palestine, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at OSU and Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Ohio State Moritz College of Law scheduled a protest.
“We vehemently oppose any attempts to commemorate or honor war criminals, in addition to any acts of normalization with the zionist entity,” an Instagram post about the protest read. “We will not stand by and allow them to be welcomed onto our campus.”
It was at this protest that two individuals were arrested, Ohio State spokesperson Dan Hedman said in a statement.
“Following multiple warnings, two individuals were arrested for criminal trespass after disrupting a scheduled event inside the Ohio Union and violating university space standards,” Hedman said.
Whether the arrested individuals are affiliated with Ohio State was not immediately available.
In 2024, more than 40 people were arrested on Ohio State’s campus during a string of anti-Israel protests in the days leading up to spring commencement. About half of those arrested individuals were affiliated with the university.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is available.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
Ohio
‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
Brandon “Bug” Hall was arrested in Ohio and charged with failure to appear for a court date from more than a year ago.
The “Little Rascals” actor, best known for playing Alfalfa Switzer in the 1994 cult classic, did not appear in court in December 2024, according to records obtained by TMZ.
Hall, 41, was previously given a traffic citation on Oct. 29, 2024, for not having liability insurance.
Page Six has reached out to Hall for comment but did not immediately hear back.
A few years ago, the “Stupids” star had another run-in with the law.
In 2020, he was arrested in Texas for huffing air duster cans.
At the time, a 911 caller claimed Hall may have overdosed after spotting him huffing by a hotel dumpster. When the police arrived, they discovered the “Get a Clue” actor in his hotel room surrounded by cans.
Upon an investigation, Hall was arrested for misdemeanor possession for use to inhale or ingest a volatile chemical.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Hall — who identifies as “a radical Catholic extremist” — moved his wife, Jill DeGroff, and their five children to a small area near Mountain Home, Arkansas, after giving up Hollywood to take “a vow of poverty.”
In accordance with his religious commitment, Hall told the Daily Mail in January that he donated all of his savings along with the majority of his material items to “maintain a life as free of any need for an income as possible.”
Page Six reported that the “Big Green” star and his family resided in a campervan with a water well and a generator.
Hall plans to go totally off-the-grid and build his family a house with its own hydro-electrical dam, as well as plumbing and electrical systems.
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