All “intoxicating” hemp, including hemp-derived THC and CBD beverages, will be illegal to sell or have in 90 days, according to legislation Gov. Mike DeWine signed Friday afternoon.
The final version of Senate Bill 56 that lawmakers sent DeWine banned most intoxicating hemp, but gave those drinks more leeway, mirroring the timeline of recent federal action against hemp. DeWine used his line-item veto ability, however, to strike the measure carving out beverages, saying it would cause more confusion.
“Federal law only allows this to continue on until November anyway,” he told reporters Friday. “I think it’ll bring about more confusion. It seemed to me we should have uniformity in this area.”
THC beverages have different effects on the consumer than alcoholic beverages, so they should not be regulated the same, he said he believes. “I think they create problems, extra problems, I think the person who (is) drinking it, as well as the person who serves it, will not know nearly as much,” he told reporters.
As for adult-use marijuana legalized by voters in 2023, SB 56 makes extensive changes to cannabis statute.
It distributes more than $80 million in tax revenue over the next two fiscal years owed to cities and towns with dispensaries through what’s known as the Host Community Cannabis Fund.
It also makes it a state crime to store edibles outside their original packaging or possess any product bought legally in another state, which legislative Democrats took issue with.
A spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, a PAC, wrote in a statement it will collect signatures in an effort to overturn the new law through a ballot referendum.
"SB 56 forcefully defies the will of the voters of Ohio, who spoke clearly on this issue, and denies the people of Ohio the freedom to use these products for their personal use," spokesperson Dennis Willard said Friday afternoon.
