Ohio House Adds New Cannabis Restrictions to Senate Hemp Regulations Bill

The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a Senate-approved bill to regulate the sale of hemp THC products, but also added new provisions to the bill to curtail the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization policy, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

One of the additions to Senate Bill 56 includes a ban on smoking or vaping cannabis in public, restricting cannabis smokers to only private residences. Currently, cannabis smoking is allowed in public anywhere that tobacco smoking is permitted, the report said.

Other provisions include prohibiting the possession of products from out-of-state cannabis programs, and setting a maximum THC cap of 35% for flower products and 70% for extracts.

The bill now returns to the Senate, where lawmakers will consider the House amendments.

The proposal’s hemp product regulations include bans on underage sales and packaging that is appealing to children, licensing requirements for hemp product retailers, and product testing requirements paralleling the state’s adult-use cannabis industry.

Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) issued an executive order to ban hemp product sales for 90 days starting October 14, but a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge blocked the request on the day the ban was to take effect, issuing a two-week stay on the order.