Hemp Legalized In Ohio
Great news for Affiliates, customers, and hemp extract lovers in the Buckeye state! Last week the Ohio legislature passed Senate Bill 57 which decriminalizes industrial hemp and all hemp products. The law removes hemp from all controlled substance lists within the state and offers reimbursement for any hemp product that was seized under the previous law.
Prior to this passage, sales of hemp products were highly restricted and many businesses suffered as a result of the confusion caused by stringent laws. S.B. 57 resolves any confusion by clearly differentiating hemp from marijuana, using the definition of industrial hemp as defined by the federal government in the 2018 Farm Bill. Unlike some other states that have legalized hemp over the last year, Ohio does not require any registration process for buyers or sellers. As long as the product is sourced from a federally approved state plan, individuals and retailers are free to distribute their product throughout the state. This stipulation refers to the process outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill, requiring individual states to create their own programs and sending their program guidelines to the United States Department of Agriculture for approval. This is the plan that the 2018 Farm Bill set in action. The USDA will not be prepared to review plans until later this year, but it is likely to approve plans that adhere to the structure established by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Senate Bill 57 details requirements for growers and processors of hemp within the state of Ohio, but does not project any of these requirements onto buyers or sellers whose hemp product is sourced from another state’s hemp plan. The bill states, “The department, a university, or any person may, without a hemp cultivation license or hemp processing license, possess, buy, or sell hemp or a hemp product.” (Section 982.01 (C)). Since PMB’s products are grown and produced legally under Texas law, Affiliates distributing our products in Ohio are well within the confines of this law. We will continue to update the field on decisions made by the USDA and other regulatory agencies such as the FDA. Until then, the only thing left to do is enjoy your hemp products freely and spread the word!
