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By Andrew Tobias | Signal Statewide
The Ohio General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday after taking a couple weeks off for an Easter break. Senate Bill 86 is one noteworthy bill that advanced.
The Ohio Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 86, which restricts the sale of hemp-derived THC products known as Delta-8 (I think of them as “Diet Weed.”) These products emerged via a loophole in the 2018 federal farm bill, which was meant to legalize industrial hemp production.
The bill says “intoxicating hemp” products must be sold in state-licensed marijuana dispensaries, although the legislation makes an exception for “drinkable cannabinoid products,” AKA THC beverages. Businesses with retail liquor licenses (bars, grocery stores, carryout stores) would be allowed to sell them to people 21 and up. It also sets quality and testing standards the products must meet.
The bill now heads to the House, which is considering its own proposal to regulate intoxicating hemp. The House version, unlike the Senate version, doesn’t contain language allowing THC beverages to be sold outside of dispensaries. (Legislative leaders said Wednesday that how the state deals with THC products could get pulled into the budget bill.)
Gov. Mike DeWine has been calling on the legislature to ban Delta-8 for over a year, calling the products a risk to children. But it looks more like lawmakers will regulate it in a manner similar to recreational marijuana or even alcohol.
The bill’s supporters said Wednesday it will keep THC products out of the hands of kids but still keep the drinks easily available for adults 21 and up.
“I’ve never tried them, but everybody tells me they’re the hip new thing,” said State Sen. Bill Demora, a Columbus Democrat.
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