Ohio House lawmakers, by an 87-8 vote, advanced long-stalled legislation Wednesday afternoon revising cannabis laws and more strictly regulating other THC products, like those with delta-8 THC.
Among dozens of changes, the latest version of establishes a regulatory structure for what the state calls 鈥渋ntoxicating鈥� hemp. Under it, retailers who want to sell intoxicating hemp would need one of several licenses. It carves out CBD and THC drinks, which could be served at bars and restaurants and sold at grocery stores and corner stores.
Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) has led the House negotiations on the legislation.
鈥淎 lot of what the Senate wanted to see was kind of the bones of this deal anyway,鈥� Stewart said Wednesday morning.
SB 56 puts limits on how potent THC products can be but permits Ohioans to share with each other. It also distributes more than $80 million in tax revenue over the next two fiscal years through what鈥檚 known as the Host Community Cannabis Fund, which would go to cities and towns with dispensaries.
Only five GOP and three Democratic legislators voted against SB 56 on the floor. 鈥淚 think that sends a really strong signal,鈥� Stewart said.
Lawmakers have gone back and forth over modifying recreational marijuana laws since it became legal for Ohioans 21 and older in December 2023. Efforts to regulate largely unregulated hemp have been folded into that debate鈥攖hough earlier versions of SB 56 put intoxicating products behind dispensaries鈥� counters and banned sales otherwise.
Stewart said the legislature became bogged down in 鈥渋ntramural industry turf fights.鈥�
Adrienne Robbins, deputy executive director for industry trade association the Ohio Cannabis Coalition, said OHCANN takes issue with the hemp measures added to SB 56 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
鈥淥n one hand, you have a state-regulated, state-legal (industry),鈥� Robbins said. 鈥淎nd on the other hand, you have an industry that has made its business ... marketing to children.鈥�
The Senate still has to sign off on the changes, and is unlikely to okay them outright, Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said Wednesday.
鈥淎dmittedly, we got their version of changes relatively recently,鈥� McColley said. 鈥淭he initial briefing I got, there are going to be some things that ... some members of our caucus will have issues with.鈥�
