Jo Ingles

Earlier this week, a State Medical Board of Ohio committee decided there wasn’t enough scientific proof that medical marijuana would help with anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. That reversed a recommendation made earlier this summer that the drug be added to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use in Ohio. But the board's change isn’t sitting well with parents who had hoped to be able to transition their autistic children off prescription drugs to marijuana. 

There continue to be concerns by cities and police agencies that they can no longer easily prosecute people who are carrying small amounts of marijuana because of the state’s new law allowing hemp and CBD oil. Some say the problem is there’s no good way to test marijuana to see whether it complies with the new hemp law. 

Recent federal income tax reforms have eliminated itemized deductions which Ohio lawmakers often used when they stayed overnight while doing legislative business in Columbus. Now, Ohio taxpayers are picking up the tab for some of those expenses. 

President Donald Trump was in Dayton earlier today, meeting with first responders and victims of Sunday’s mass shooting. Gov. Mike DeWine was there too. And the meeting gave the two a chance to talk briefly about changes in gun policies.

Ohioans may notice a heavy presence of first responders, military personnel, military aircraft, and emergency vehicles in multiple areas throughout Ohio as part of a disaster response exercise.

Nearly two dozen groups and individuals are asking Ohio’s top elections official for a list of voters who could be dropped from the rolls this fall, so they can try to get them re-registered. 

The Trump administration wants to cut food stamp benefits for about three million Americans. 

Nearly three quarters of Ohio’s counties have received a “state of emergency” declaration because of severe weather last month. 

Ohio’s unemployment rate was down slightly in June. It was an even 4 percent last month compared to 4.1 percent in May. Companies in Ohio have jobs that are going unfilled right now.

Most of the attention on lawmakers has focused on their approval of a state budget 17 days after the deadline. But they also passed a bill to decriminalize hemp and license its cultivation.