New executive order set to ban intoxicating hemp products in Ohio

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a 90-day executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products throughout the state.

The ban was set to expire Jan. 12, until it was paused after a Franklin County judge filed a 14-day restraining order on the executive order, allowing shops to sell until Dec. 2, according to reporting by the Ohio Capital Journal. On Oct. 29, the Ohio Senate voted not to concur with House changes to the original bill – Senate Bill 56 – which included added intoxicating hemp regulations.

The executive order means that intoxicating hemp products containing THC cannot be sold anywhere other than licensed marijuana dispensaries.

This includes establishments such as smoke shops, gas stations and CBD stores. The closest dispensaries in Oxford are Consume on Southpointe Parkway and Pure Iconic on College Corner Pike.

At a press conference on Oct. 8, DeWine emphasized how important this matter is to the safety of children.

“I’m not going to tell [lawmakers] what to do, but we have to have some control of this product,” he said at the press conference. “We can’t have a situation where it is legal for people to sell this to underage kids.”

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Exposures to delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC among ages 19 or younger increased from 419 in 2021 to 994 in 2024, with more than half of all cases involving children ages five and under, according to Ohio Poison Control.

Retailers who continue selling intoxicating hemp could be fined $500 each day the products remain on sale, according to the executive order.

Marijuana is not considered an intoxicating hemp product and is legal in Ohio. Oxford has five smoke shops in town, and other shops like Wild Berry sell various CBD and hemp products.

Wild Berry’s store manager, Barbara Cox, said 10% of their sales are from hemp products.

Trevor Rybolt, 26, has worked at Oxford Smoke Time on High Street for seven years. He said intoxicating hemp products should not be banned, and he is frustrated the ban continues to get pushed back.

When he and the other employees at Oxford Smoke Time first read about the original ban, they took everything off their shelves. Now, he said the order has been extended three times, which means it won’t be in effect until Dec. 2. He said this has caused annoyance for the employees as they place products back in the store, and it has also confused customers.

“People who don’t have the resources to afford medical marijuana purchase from me because it’s a lot cheaper,” Rybolt said. “It’s annoying for them because now they have to resort to other things. I think it’s inconvenient and childish.”

In addition to working at a shop affected by this order, students are concerned with what this ban could lead to.

First-year Miami University student Calvin Ainsworth said he thinks the government should be focusing on banning more harmful drugs, such as 7-OH products, that act as a gateway to opioids. He worries that when intoxicating hemp products are no longer readily available, customers will resort to dangerous alternatives.

“Those products are much worse,” Ainsworth said. “They’re going to end up getting addicted. That could ruin their life.”

Other groups like the hemp industry and the Ohio Cannabis Coalition hold varying opinions as well, but ultimately, the decision will be up to the lawmakers when the countdown clock ends.

obrie175@miamioh.edu