Ohio

Ohio moved faster and harder than any other major state to end intoxicating hemp retail. SB 56, sponsored by Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) — a physician who cited pediatric emergency department cases in his advocacy — passed the legislature almost entirely along party lines (86-8 in the House, 22-7 in the Senate). Governor DeWine signed the bill on December 19, 2025 while wielding line-item vetoes to preserve the intoxicating hemp ban’s scope. The most consequential veto killed a beverage carve-out that would have allowed 5mg THC beverages to be manufactured, distributed, and sold in Ohio through December 31, 2026 — a provision brewers and hemp beverage operators had lobbied hard to include. DeWine’s veto message: ‘a carve out to allow the further sale of intoxicating hemp beverages for most of 2026 will create confusion for consumers and a lack of conformity with federal law.’ SB 56 took effect March 20, 2026 following a failed referendum effort (Ohioans for Cannabis Choice fell short on signatures). The law effectively bans delta-8, delta-10, THCA, and all hemp-derived cannabinoids exceeding 0.4mg total THC per container from all retail outside licensed marijuana dispensaries. Importantly, DCC has confirmed that dispensaries can only sell products derived from Ohio-licensed cultivators and processors — meaning intoxicating hemp beverages cannot migrate to the dispensary channel either. An estimated 6,000 Ohio businesses were affected. Legal challenges are active: a Franklin County judge granted a temporary injunction for two businesses on April 16, 2026, and a Sandusky County judge temporarily blocked SB 56 in one city on April 8, 2026, but the broader ban remains in place. The Ohio Cannabis Coalition (OHCANN), representing licensed cannabis operators, supported the ban as leveling the playing field with regulated marijuana.