Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a 90-day ban on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, including THC-infused gummies and beverages commonly sold in gas stations, taprooms and retail stores.
The products are defined as any THC-containing items sold outside of licensed marijuana shops, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Retailers must remove intoxicating hemp products and halt sales by 12:01 a.m. Oct. 14, according to the executive order DeWine signed on Oct. 8.
The order also mandates the removal of all product displays and temporarily suspends Ohio Department of Agriculture rules related to the items.
Once the ban expires, it will be up to lawmakers to establish regulations for intoxicating hemp products, DeWine said.
“Intoxicating hemp is dangerous, and we need to better protect our children,” DeWine, a father of eight and grandfather to more than two dozen, said during a press conference.
DeWine expressed concern over the packaging of many THC-infused products, which often mimic popular candies like Sour Patch Kids and Nerds, and that some gummies contain as much as 100 milligrams of THC.
Ohio is not alone in its efforts to regulate intoxicating hemp products.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also has threatened to issue an executive order banning the products after state lawmakers failed to pass regulations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill to integrate hemp-derived THC products into the state’s regulated cannabis industry about a year after it prohibited selling them.
But attempts to ban hemp-derived THC products have failed in other states, such as Texas, which has a market valued at an estimated $5.5 billion.
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