Ohio Senate Rejects House Amendments to Hemp Regulations Bill

The Ohio Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to reject sweeping amendments by the House to Senate Bill 56, which senators approved in April to restrict the sale of hemp THC products to only state-licensed stores, the Ohio Capital Journal reports.

The House approved its version of the bill last week, which aims to ban public cannabis smoking and install THC caps on adult-use cannabis flower and extracts. The House additions also included language establishing an expungement process for individuals convicted of simple cannabis possession, which voters made legal in 2023.

“There’s so much in this bill that has changed from what we passed here, a lot of it not for the better.” — State Sen. Bill DeMora (D), in a statement

With the Senate’s rejection of the rewritten proposal, the bill next goes to a conference committee composed of members from both chambers to address the differences and, if possible, consolidate the proposals.

“I think it’s abundantly clear we need a regulatory structure around hemp and intoxicating hemp products,” Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R) said. “We have some issues to work out, but I’m confident we can work those issues out.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) this month issued an executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products — a Franklin County judge, however, put a temporary restraining order on the ban after three hemp companies sued the governor, claiming the policy violates state and federal law.