Cannabis legally purchased out of state – or carried in a Ziploc bag – will be illegal in Ohio if recent changes to the state’s adult-use marijuana framework are signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.
Senate Bill 56, which the state Senate approved on a 22-7 party-line vote on Tuesday, also limits hemp-derived THC to state-licensed marijuana stores and imposes new restrictions on THC beverages, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
The bill is both a response to the hemp THC situation, including the ban signed into law by President Donald Trump, as well as the fruit of a longstanding effort to curb Ohio’s voter-approved 2023 cannabis legalization law.
Can Ohio enforce a ban on out-of-state marijuana?
Under the bill, THC drinks will also be limited to 5 milligrams of THC per container – but are only legal through the end of 2026.
SB 56 also:
- Caps the number of adult-use marijuana stores in the state at 400.
- Caps THC in legal cannabis products at no more than 35% for flower and 70% for concentrates.
- Prohibits cannabis smoking in most public areas.
- Bans possessing cannabis outside of its original packaging.
- Requires motorists to place cannabis in the trunk of a vehicle while driving.
Ohio lawmakers have been attempting to rewrite legal marijuana’s rules since the state became the 24th in the U.S. to legalize adult-use cannabis in November 2023.
Cannabis companies have also sued the state, alleging that strict advertising and product-naming regulations, imported from the medical cannabis framework, unfairly burden businesses.
New limits on legal cannabis businesses in Ohio
Annual legal cannabis sales in Ohio are on pace to exceed $1 billion, according to Headset data.
But more recently, state authorities have moved to curb the market in intoxicating hemp.
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Ahead of Congress’ move to close the so-called Farm Bill loophole, DeWine issued an Oct. 9 executive order banning hemp THC.
That was blocked by the courts, but should DeWine sign SB56 into law as expected, hemp-derived THC products will be restricted to cannabis stores by March.
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