In 90 days, all “intoxicating” hemp, including hemp-derived THC and CBD beverages, will be made illegal. That’s according to legislation Gov. Mike DeWine signed on Friday.
The final version of Senate Bill 56 that lawmakers sent DeWine banned most intoxicating hemp but gave THC drinks more leeway, mirroring the timeline of recent federal action against hemp. But DeWine used his line-item veto power to strike a provision about beverages, saying it would cause more confusion, since a federal ban on those beverages after November was part of the agreement that ended the federal government shutdown last month.
"There's a provision in [SB 56] that carves out an exception and allows the continued use of beverages that are infused. My veto takes that out, and my veto means that they cannot be sold," DeWine added. "So the simplest thing, frankly, to do is to stop it right now instead of going until the date in November."
As for adult-use marijuana legalized by voters in 2023, SB 56 makes extensive changes to cannabis statutes. A spokesperson for the PAC Ohioans for Cannabis Choice said in a statement it will collect signatures in an effort to overturn the new law.
"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," wrote Dennis Willard, spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. "We are launching a referendum campaign to go directly to the voters. We believe voters will say no to government overreach, no to closing 6,000 small businesses and pink-slipping thousands of workers across the state, and no to once again recriminalizing hemp and marijuana."
