“It contains necessities for product testing, protected packaging, age verification. These are all widespread sense measures.”
By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal
The Ohio Senate unanimously handed a invoice that will regulate intoxicating hemp and drinkable cannabinoid merchandise.
Ohio Senate Invoice 86 would require intoxicating hemp merchandise to be offered solely at adult-use marijuana dispensaries as an alternative of permitting them to be offered at CBD shops, comfort shops, smoke outlets, or gasoline stations. The invoice now strikes to the Ohio Home for consideration.
“Present intoxicated hemp merchandise are untested and unregulated,” stated Ohio state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp Metropolis. “The invoice protects consumers from getting access to these intoxicating merchandise and ensures adults can nonetheless buy them from present regulated operators.”
Huffman launched the invoice with state Sen. Shane Wilkin, R-Hillsboro. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has implored lawmakers to control or ban delta-8 THC merchandise.
The invoice would additionally impose a ten p.c tax on intoxicating hemp merchandise, ban gross sales to anybody underneath 21, and would solely permit intoxicating hemp merchandise to be offered at dispensaries if the merchandise have been examined and adjust to requirements for packaging, labeling, and promoting.
Throughout dialogue on the invoice on Wednesday, senators talked primarily about how the invoice would defend Ohio children.
“This invoice regulates intoxicating hemp merchandise and removes the untested, unsafe gadgets which are marketed towards kids from nook shops and vape outlets and gasoline stations,” stated state Sen. Invoice DeMora, D-Columbus. “It contains necessities for product testing, protected packaging, age verification. These are all widespread sense measures.”
Wilkin spoke about how a well being commissioner in his district got here throughout an intoxicating hemp product that regarded like Rice Krispies cereal field.
“That’s marketed to children,” he stated. “We don’t know what’s in them and sadly they’re, with out query, ending up in our children’ arms and that’s not proper.”
Youngsters’s security and standardization bought the Senate Democrats on board with the invoice as nicely, based on Ohio Senate Minority Chief Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood.
“The extra we are able to slender within the standardization and a few oversight…and the protection of them, the higher we’re,” she stated. “Is it excellent? No, however does it actually get to a few of the constructive modifications for security’s sake? I feel so.”
CBD retailer homeowners beforehand testified towards the invoice, arguing this might probably put them out of enterprise. Throughout testimony in March, Bellefontaine enterprise proprietor Jaimee Courtney stated the invoice would eradicate 90% of the “non-intoxicating full-spectrum hemp merchandise” her enterprise presents, and that the invoice would “drive shoppers to unregulated on-line markets.”
“I don’t have plenty of sympathy for a few of these companies that are actually being compelled to not supply a product that was very clearly harmful and focused in the direction of kids,” stated Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. “I nonetheless assume if [shops] had been working earlier than [intoxicating hemp], they’re going to have the ability to function after.”
Members of the marijuana enterprise, poison management employees, and non secular organizations testified in assist of the invoice.
The 2018 U.S. Farm Invoice says hemp will be legally grown if it incorporates lower than 0.3 p.c THC. Ohio is one in every of about 20 states that doesn’t have any laws round intoxicating hemp merchandise, based on an Ohio State College Drug Enforcement and Coverage Middle research from November 2024.
This story was first printed by Ohio Capital Journal.
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Picture courtesy of Kimzy Nanney.