COLUMBUS – Ohio has a severe backlog of drug evidence at its state crime labs leading to longer wait times for charges to be filed and cases to be presented to grand juries. The problem is so bad, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation sent a letter to prosecutors statewide this month notifying them of the delays and explaining how Attorney General Dave Yost plans to fix the issue. In the letter, Yost and BCI Superintendent Joseph Morbitzer blame the problem on Senate Bill 57 — which requires the state to test for levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC in hemp — and COVID-19. Drug evidence that would normally be processed in about 36 days is now averaging 120 days, said Bethany McCorkle, communications director for Yost.