COLUMBUS, Ohio — Restrictions on where Ohioans can buy most intoxicating hemp products, such as Delta-8 THC, will be up for a vote in the Ohio Senate Wednesday afternoon.
Senate Bill 86, sponsored by Miami County Republican state Sen. Steve Huffman, would require most products with 0.3% or more of any THC compound to be sold at state-licensed marijuana dispensaries.
Exceptions would be made for lotions, salves and some hemp-infused beverages, which could be sold by retailers with liquor licenses.
“It’s very much like marijuana, so it should be regulated the same,” Huffman previously told Cleveland.com.
If the Senate passes SB86, it still would have to go through the Ohio House, where Republicans have offered their own proposal for regulating hemp.
Critics argue these restrictions will devastate small businesses and limit consumer access to legal, federally approved products.
Robert Berg, the owner of Tribal Balance in Cleveland, said most hemp retailers already follow many of the rules in SB 86.
“They’ve heard the worst scenarios and that’s what they’re writing on,” Berg said.
He and U.S. Hemp Roundtable attorney Jonathan Miller both support mandatory testing, age restrictions and inspections. What they don’t support is restricting sales to marijuana dispensaries.
“About 60% of my inventory is hemp products and out of that I’d say about 30 to 40% of them would be affected,” Berg said.
Miller called it a giveaway to the marijuana industry.
Gov. Mike DeWine has made regulating Delta-8 and similar intoxicating hemp products a priority, which means SB 83 could get folded into the state’s two-year operating budget.
“That is always a possibility,” Huffman said. “In my opinion hemp and marijuana are complex issues and would best not be in the budget but it would be up to leadership.”
Anna Staver covers state government and politics for Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer.
A bill that would limit sales of most hemp-derived THC products, including Delta-8, to licensed marijuana dispensaries is expected to pass the Ohio Senate today. Read More
