Cincinnati Oks marijuana cultivation in industrial districts

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.

Police: Man survives after overdose, fall on train tracks

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — Police say an Ohio man is lucky to be alive after he overdosed and fell in between a set of railroad tracks.

Fire officials say the 46-year-old man overdosed and fell on the tracks Friday night in Middletown. The conductor of a Norfolk-Southern train told police he saw the man lying in the tracks, but by the time he was able to stop all 26 rail cars had passed over him.

Middletown paramedics were able to revive the man with a dose of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone. He has been taken to a nearby hospital, telling paramedics and officers he did not remember the train passing over him.

Police say the man has been charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and inducing panic.

Ohio Senate unanimously passes ‘Judy’s Law’

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Legislation inspired by a woman set on fire by her ex-boyfriend has unanimously passed the Ohio Senate the day after her death.

Named “Judy’s Law,” the bill would require six additional years in prison for crimes that permanently main or disfigure victims.

The Senate passed the bill Wednesday after a moment of silence for 33-year-old Judy Malinowski. The bill heads to Republican Gov. John Kasich for his signature.

Malinowski died Tuesday after being hospitalized for nearly two years after Michael Slager doused her in gasoline and set her on fire in August 2015.

Slager had been sentenced to the maximum of 11 years in prison after being convicted of charges that include aggravated arson and felonious assault.

Prosecutors say they plan to file murder charges against Slager following Malinowski’s death.

2 Ohio universities to go smoke-free July 1

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Both the University of Akron and Kent State University in Ohio 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.

Penalties proposed for Ohio company over safety violations

GROVEPORT, Ohio (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, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of downtown Columbus.

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.

Ohio politicians call for release of Asian carp study

TOLEDO, Ohio (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 (14 kilometers) 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.