Cincinnati Oks marijuana cultivation
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati City Council has unanimously approved legislation to allow medical marijuana cultivation in city districts zoned for manufacturing.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Councilman Chris Seelbach said at Wednesday’s meeting that he wished the council was voting on full decriminalization of marijuana.
Council has discussed possibly striking down city ordinances on non-violent, misdemeanor marijuana violations.
The state license application for large-scale cultivators is Friday. The state law approved last year allows for 12 large-scale cultivators and 12 smaller-scale cultivators to operate in Ohio.
Some southwest Ohio communities, including Blue Ash and Fairfield, have enacted bans on marijuana businesses.
The state law requires that medical marijuana become available for people with a physician recommendation for one of 21 qualifying medical conditions by September 2018.
Akron, Kent go smoke-free July 1
AKRON (AP) — Both the University of Akron and Kent State University are going smoke- and tobacco-free July 1.
The universities are banning the use of tobacco products, such as chew and dip, and vape products in a policy adopted last year by each school’s board of trustees.
The ban applies to everyone on campus, including visitors and contractors. Tobacco product sales and advertising is also banned on university grounds.
Both UA and Kent State are offering programs for those who want to quit using tobacco.
While university officials seek voluntary compliance, students and employees who repeatedly refuse to follow the policy could face disciplinary action.
Cleveland teen fatally shot
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a 15-year-old boy has been fatally shot in a Cleveland suburb.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office has identified the teen as Dre’eon Gray, of South Euclid. He was found by police around 6 p.m. Wednesday in the backyard of a home in Cleveland Heights. Police say he was shot three times.
Dre’eon was pronounced dead at a Cleveland hospital.
Cleveland Heights police say the shooter fled before officers arrived.
Lawmakers call for release of Asian carp study
TOLEDO (AP) — Republicans and Democrats in Ohio’s congressional delegation are calling on the Trump administration to release a report on ways to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.
Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo who co-chairs the House Great Lakes Task Force, are all asking for the report to be made public.
The calls are growing after a live Asian carp was discovered last week in a Chicago waterway about 9 miles from Lake Michigan.
Scientists fear that if Asian carp get into the Great Lakes they could compete with native species and devastate the region’s $7 billion fishing industry.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who this week announced his run for governor, says he also wants the report released.
OSHA fines Groveport plant
GROVEPORT (AP) — A federal safety agency has proposed a $610,000 penalty against a central Ohio company for exposing workers to machine hazards and harmful levels of silica.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a statement Wednesday that violations were found during inspections of an Amsted Rail Company plant in Groveport.
The agency says a 60-year-old maintenance worker’s leg was crushed in a machine in January. OSHA then found “multiple” machine safety violations in a subsequent inspection.
A second inspection was opened in February after OSHA investigators discovered that four workers had been exposed to unsafe levels of silica, which can be harmful to humans.
The company didn’t immediately return a telephone message Wednesday seeking comment about the proposed penalties.
