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.

Legislation in Congress, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin - D-IL - could expand treatment choices for people with opioid use disorder.

Current federal regulations mandate that people battling addictions use government-approved treatment programs to receive methadone - a drug that curbs opioid cravings.

Senate Bill 644 would expand access through board-certified addiction specialists, who could prescribe methadone in a clinic or doctor's office.

Lindsey Vuolo - vice president of health law and policy at the nonprofit Partnership to End Addiction - said the measure would remove hardships for people who need help.

"The fact that methadone can be prescribed for pain without these restrictions really demonstrates that there isn't medical justification for these types of restrictions," said Vuolo. "And so, it's really crucial to make effective treatment low barrier - or ideally, no barrier - so that people who are in need of these medications can access them without undue restrictions."

Opponents of expanding methadone access have concerns about possible misuse, or that the drug could be distributed or sold illegally.

The bill is in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and has been there since February. Nearly 3,300 people died from opioid overdoses in Illinois in 2022.

Under the current restrictions, the government-approved programs are the only option for people getting methadone treatment.

Vuolo pointed out that there aren't enough of these programs, and people receiving the treatment must undergo counseling - which can create even more hurdles to getting care.

"People have difficulty using their insurance to access care and can't afford to pay for the cost out of pocket, and lack of access to providers," said Vuolo. "There's a workforce shortage, so there aren't enough trained providers who are able to provide treatment for opioid use disorder and substance use disorder. Behavioral health in general, there's also lack of mental health providers."

The Illinois Department of Public Health says in 2022, the state's mortality rate from opioid use was 26 deaths per 100-thousand residents.

March Madness is in full swing, and depending on where you live, you might be able to place a bet on a college basketball tournament game. Wisconsin hasn't fully embraced the movement, but experts still advise people to avoid unhealthy habits.

A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling paved the way for states to decide if they want to legalize sports betting. That helped fuel the presence of online platforms where people can place wagers through their smartphones. Wisconsin limits live bets to tribal casinos. But bettors can flock to some neighboring states for online access.

Rose Blozinski, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling, said they're neutral on these laws but still have concerns.

"We know that more people are going to do it, and we also know that more people are going to become addicted to gambling," she said.

Since the legalization wave, Connecticut officials havehave reported a 200% increase in calls to gambling addiction hotlines.

To protect yourself from falling into traps, prevention experts recommend only betting what you can afford. If troubling patterns emerge, they suggest things like deleting betting apps and switching to flip phones. Nearly 40 states allow some form of sports betting, but some do have restrictions for college games.

The financial impacts of problem gambling can be obvious, but Blozinski noted that compulsive gamblers also have a higher suicide rate. And with mobile betting marketed toward young adults, she said this demographic should be considered high-risk.

"They're at a time where they're high risk-takers to start, and gambling fits right in with that, especially the sports betting. It makes them feel important; if you're winning, you can brag to all your friends," she added.

She said a big problem in helping young adults falling into addiction is that Gamblers Anonymous resources are outdated in the age groups they cater to. Industry leaders note their ads come with disclosures about problem gambling and where to seek help. But prevention experts say they're not easy to understand, and called for broader funding to carry out assistance programs.


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Communities across the Commonwealth want to minimize traumatic experiences for the state's youngest residents - as a way to help stem the drug epidemic, and prevent future generations from struggling with substance-use disorders.

According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, at least one in five Kentucky kids has had at least two Adverse Childhood Experiences or 'ACEs.'

These include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, having family members with a substance-use disorder, witnessing domestic violence, and parental incarceration.

Dr. Connie White, deputy commissioner for clinical affairs with the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said research shows ACEs can increase risky behaviors and the development of chronic diseases - and even lead to a shorter lifespan.

"All of these things contribute as that child's neural pathways are developing," said White, "as they're learning how to make choices - healthy choices, unhealthy choices - as they're chronically stressed and their cortisol levels are chronically elevated."

White added that it's becoming clear that interventions promoting safe, stable environments for kids can strengthen the building blocks for healthy coping mechanisms - and reduce their likelihood of dependence on alcohol or drugs in adolescence or adulthood.

Barry Allen is president and CEO of the Gheens Foundation. It's a member of BLOOM Kentucky, a statewide coalition pushing for policy changes to prevent ACEs.

He said increasingly, communities are recognizing the correlation between addiction and childhood trauma.

"And so, a small group of us grantmakers proceeded to seek an audience with then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron," said Allen, "to plead the case to apply at least half of the opioid abatement settlement dollars - over $400 million - to apply those to prevention."

This legislative session, Bloom Kentucky says it's advocating for sustained funding for school-based mental health providers to improve access to services, for establishing a process to automatically expunge an eviction from a family's record after a reasonable amount of time, and to prohibit minors from being named in eviction filings.




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