Ohio
Ohio GOP Lawmakers File Bills To Restrict And Regulate Intoxicating Hemp Products, Including Delta-8 THC
“I’m just asking the legislature to take action so we can get these products off the shelf.”
By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal
As Ohioans wait to legally purchase recreational-use marijuana, Republican lawmakers in both chambers of the General Assembly are trying to regulate adult-use hemp products.
State Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) introduced House Bill 642 on Thursday which would require the Ohio Director of Agriculture to issue recommendations for adult-use hemp products.
If the bill were to pass, the Director of Agriculture (who is currently Brian Baldridge) would conduct and issue a report to the General Assembly about the “sale and use of hemp products that could be used for intoxicating purposes.” The report would be in consultation with the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
The report could include:
- A definition of adult-use hemp products that could include restrictions on the amount of THC allowed in adult-use hemp products based on serving size.
- Where adult-use hemp products may be sold and how those products are stored.
- Minimum age requirements to purchase adult-use hemp.
- Penalties for selling adult-use hemp products to someone who is underage.
- Testing standards and requirements for adult-use hemp products.
- Advertising restrictions and labeling requirements for adult-use hemp products.
- How to enforce these recommendations, which could be giving inspection authority to the Ohio Investigative Unit in the Department of Public Safety.
If the recommendations are adopted, they would be in effect for one year.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called on lawmakers earlier this year to ban or regulate delta-8, which he called “intoxicating hemp.”
Delta-8 is made from hemp, so it is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill which says hemp can be grown legally if it contains less than 0.3 percent THC. Hemp and marijuana are both types of cannabis plants.
Delta-8 is 0.3 percent THC or less, meaning it is not currently regulated and there is no age requirement to buy it, so teenagers and children can purchase it. These products are sold in smoke shops and gas stations.
At the time of DeWine’s January press conference, there had been at least 257 reports of delta-8 poisoning in Ohio over the last three years, according to the Ohio Poison Control Center.
“I cannot do anything without action by the state legislator,” DeWine said during his January press conference. “I’m just asking the legislature to take action so we can get these products off the shelf. In the meantime, I would ask the retail establishments that are out there…the responsible thing to do is to take it off the shelf. We do need action by the state legislature to make this illegal.”
Ohio Senate
Over in the Senate, Sens. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) and Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) introduced a bill at the end of May that would place restrictions on adult-use hemp products.
Senate Bill 278 would ban selling adult-use hemp products to people under 21. It would also require stores to keep adult-use hemp products behind the counter and ID customers who want to buy those products.
Ohio lawmakers are currently on break and not expected to come back until after the November election.
Marijuana in Ohio
Even though recreational marijuana is legal in Ohio after the passage of Issue 2, there is still nowhere to legally purchase weed.
The Division of Cannabis Control has yet to issue certificates of operations to dispensaries which would allow them to start selling recreational marijuana.
More than 200 facilities have qualified for a provisional license, which is a placeholder while the provisional licensee works to meet the requirements to get a certificate of operation such as having an inspection and demonstrating that employees can tell the difference between medical and recreational sales.
“Following successful completion of that process, Certificates of Operation will be issued based on roughly the order in which completed applications were received,” James Crawford, spokesperson for the Division of Cannabis Control, said in an email.
“Again, there have been no Certificates of Operation issued to dispensaries to begin selling non-medical cannabis at this point.”
Of the 216 facilities that have a provisional license as of Friday, 133 are dispensaries.
License applications must be approved or denied by September 7.
“There will be no one singular day when sales begin,” Crawford said. “We will start issuing licenses and it will be up to the retailer based on staffing, stock and other considerations as to which day they will begin sales.”
Four cultivators and six processors have received certificates of operation.
“This is necessary because dispensaries are not able to sell non-medical product unless the cultivator, processor and lab that have touched that particular product have received their non-medical cannabis Certificate of Operation,” Crawford said in an email.
This story was first published by Ohio Capital Journal.
Strong Majority Of Marijuana Rescheduling Public Comments Support Even Broader Reform Than Biden’s Plan, Two Analyses Show
Photo courtesy of Pexels.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
`
const PAYWALL_HTML2 = `
Subscribe For Unlimited Access
You have exceeded the number of free articles available each month.
Thank you for supporting quality local journalism
Our award-winning coverage would not be possible without you.
Sign in here
if you are already a subscriber for unlimited access to breaking news, sports, photos, videos and our e-edition on your phone, tablet or desktop.
Click here
for our new subscriber specials.
*Read more about digital access.
`.trim();
const PAYWALL_HTML3 = `
Already a subscriber? LOG IN.
`
const PAYWALL_HTML4 = “
function ensureCss() {
if (!document.head) return;
const existing = document.querySelector(‘link[data-paywall-css=”1″]’);
if (existing) return;
const link = document.createElement(‘link’);
link.rel=”stylesheet”;
link.type=”text/css”;
link.href = CSS_HREF;
link.setAttribute(‘data-paywall-css’, ‘1’);
document.head.appendChild(link);
}
function hasSubInfo(el) {
// Only replace once the widget already contains .subInfo
return !!(el && el.querySelector(‘.subInfo’));
}
function applyTo(el) {
if (!el || el.dataset.paywallReplaced === ‘1’) return;
if (!hasSubInfo(el)) return; //
-
Wisconsin1 minute agoNortheast Wisconsin high schoolers jam in 2026 ‘Rockonsin’ contest at Summerfest
-
West Virginia4 minutes agoWest Virginia Celtic Festival draws thousands to Randolph County
-
Wyoming9 minutes agoLegend Of Vietnam War Gun Truck ‘Uncle Meat’ Lives On At Wyoming Museum
-
Crypto16 minutes agoCryptocurrency News: Pepeto Nears Exchange Listing while the Cardano Price Prediction Could Flip After Hoskinson’s June Move
-
Finance19 minutes agoRobinhood Is Becoming a Full-Service Financial Platform. Is the Stock a Buy? | The Motley Fool
-
Fitness24 minutes ago
Unlikely habit helped new parents shed 50 kilos
-
Movie Reviews34 minutes ago“Toy Story 5” Keeps the Winning Streak Alive (Movie Review)
-
World46 minutes agoIran closes Strait of Hormuz over ceasefire violations
