COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and temporarily banning “intoxicating hemp” products such as delta-8 THC across the state.
On Wednesday, DeWine said the order was necessary because “the availability and abuse of intoxicating hemp products remains a serious threat to public health and safety.” The 90-day ban, effective Tuesday, requires all retailers to remove intoxicating hemp items from shelves and segregate them for inspection by law enforcement or the state agriculture department.
According to the order, no intoxicating hemp product can be sold or offered during the emergency period. The move comes after nearly two years of legislative stalemate between the Ohio House and Senate over how to regulate hemp and marijuana products.
Senate leaders have pushed to limit hemp sales exclusively to licensed marijuana dispensaries, a proposal House lawmakers call unconstitutional and harmful to small businesses. The House instead supports regulating hemp sales rather than banning them outright.
DeWine said he acted after lawmakers failed to reach agreement. “I’m not going to sit by and let this continue,” he told reporters. “I’m taking action today to protect Ohio’s children.”
But hemp business owners say the decision could devastate their livelihoods. “It would basically put me out of business,” said Mark Fashian, who sells low-level THC gummies and CBD products. Others, like CBD worker Kimberly Bryant, said the ban removes products used for sleep and anxiety relief.
“This isn’t about protecting kids — it’s about politics,” said one frustrated store owner.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 allows hemp products with less than 0.3% THC to be sold legally nationwide, but Ohio’s emergency order overrides that protection for now.
