Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed into law a measure authorizing CBD sales and the commercial production of industrial hemp in the state.
The law takes effect immediately and allows CBD to be sold outside dispensaries. Before, CBD was legal in Ohio but only in medical marijuana dispensaries.
Highlights of the Ohio hemp law include:
- CBD food, dietary supplements and “any other product containing one or more cannabinoids derived from hemp” are allowed.
- The Ohio Department of Agriculture will set licensing fees for hemp producers and processors.
- Licenses are not required to sell CBD or hemp products.
- Hemp is defined as cannabis sativa with 0.33333% percent THC. The federal limit is 0.3%.
- An 18-person “hemp marketing program” will be created.
- Drug felons are banned from growing or processing hemp for 10 years.
Ohio becomes the 47th state to regulate hemp production, which will become legal in all states and U.S. territories as soon as the U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the rules for it, which is expected this fall.
The Ohio Farm Bureau has predicted that hemp would become the state’s third-largest crop, behind corn and soybeans.
