Federal Government Bans Intoxicating Hemp in Government Reopen CR

After forty days of government shutdown, enough Democrats joined the Republicans to pass the continuing resolution spending bill that funds government agencies, the U.S. military, farms, and the food stamp program. What was also in the bill was a correction of the 2018 Farm Bill, closing the loophole that was exploited by the intoxicating hemp industry over the past five years. The bill was signed by President Trump. The ban goes into effect in 365 days. Now that there is a federal ban on intoxicating hemp, what will the Ohio Legislature do? Here to discuss it is the Chairman of the Keep Ohio Safe Committee, Bishop John T. Coats.

The Battle Over Intoxicating Hemp - Why Ohio Needs to Take Action

Today we’re joined by Chris Lindsey, An Expert on the 2018 Farm Bill that has a terrible loophole that is being exploited by the unregulated intoxicating hemp industry. Chris leads national and state-level efforts to modernize cannabis and hemp policy, with a particular focus on regulating intoxicating hemp-derived products and building consistent, science-based standards across jurisdictions. A former trial attorney and longtime advocate for responsible reform, he’s been at the center of the debate over how Congress and the states should define, regulate, and enforce laws governing cannabinoids in the post–Farm Bill era. Call your State Senator and State House member and urge them to take a stand to strongly restrict with tough regulations intoxicating hemp products, keeping them away from children and off the corner store shelves.

Legalization of intoxicating hemp is a bad idea for Ohio

When the Ohio House gutted and hijacked S.B. 56, it was with the intent of legalizing intoxicating hemp products in Ohio. Intoxicating hemp products have been showing up on the shelves in Ohio stores since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill which authorized the farm and industrial use of hemp products. Exploiting a loophole in the federal law, manufacturers of intoxicating hemp products began selling them in Ohio and other states. So as to not be confused, this has nothing to do with the passage of Issue 2 - the legalization of marijuana in 2023.

These products that Governor DeWine highlighted in his press release on banning the products from the shelves in his Executive Order three weeks ago, are being sold in your corner store and small grocers around the State of Ohio. Many people are shocked to learn about the accessibility of these products outside of the 400 marijuana dispensaries. These products are a danger to children. The poison hotline has had a 500% increase since 2023. Shockingly, the bill passed the Ohio House by a large margin. The Ohio Senate, furious with the action of the House, soundly voted it down. It now heads to conference committee. To learn more, here is an interview with Trent Woloveck, who discusses intoxicating hemp and soon will be filing a lawsuit in the State of Ohio.