Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed several new bills into law Wednesday.
The new laws include the expansion of the jurisdiction of Ohio courts and stopping state officials from interfering with religious services. House Bill 272 prohibits “a public official from ordering the closure of all places of worship in a geographic area,” and stops public officials “from changing the time, place, or manner of conducting an election, except in certain circumstances.”
State Senator Terry Johnson took to Twitter to celebrate the bills passing, saying that he was “happy to have played a part in ensuring that our precious constitutional and voting rights get the respect they are due, even in times of crisis.”
I am happy to have played a part in ensuring that our precious constitutional and voting rights get the respect they are due, even in times of crisis: https://t.co/mvk7BLSFwD
— Terry A Johnson (@DrTerryAJohnson) September 16, 2020
House Bill 341 addresses opioid addiction in the state of Ohio by changing existing laws relating too “community addiction services providers,” and other rehabilitation centers.
HB 341’s sponsor, Representative Timothy Ginter stated in a press release “we must continue to push to fight the opioid epidemic,” and that he was “very thankful that all parties involved worked diligently and effectively to get this important bill signed into law.”
Ginter’s office noted that among several changes to pharmaceutical regulations, and the classification of rehabilitation facilities in the state his new bill increases “access to naloxone for those suffering from opioid-use disorder, increasing naloxone education for Ohio pharmacists, and modifying language to prevent an individual from possessing hashish with a THC level over 0.3 percent with a few exceptions.”
Naxolone, also known as Narcan is an “opioid antagonist” intended to quickly counteract the effects of a heroin or prescription drug overdose. The state of Ohio has been utilizing the drug and education related to its use to try to minimize the number of overdose deaths happening across the state since at least the beginning of the year.
Both House Bill 341 and House Bill 272 passed with handily and will go into effect in the next 90 days.
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter for The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected].
