On Thursday March 28th, 2019 in a historic vote of 30-0, the Ohio Senate unanimously passed SB-57; Ohio’s new bill to fully legalize the cultivation & processing of Industrial Hemp & CBD!
The bill did not go through unchanged, Ohio Senators added licensing requirements for CBD processors, testing hemp products and also for the ability for CBD to be added to food, beverages & cosmetics.
The bill is now on it’s way to the House for approval before it reaches Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature. The bill becomes law 90 days later. But while retailers will be able to sell CBD products again after those 90 days, it will take several months to develop the rules & regulations that Ohio farmers will need to follow.
Interestingly enough, while farmers/growers & processors will need a license, stores throughout Ohio will not need one in order to sell these products.
Highlights of SB-57
- Hemp-derived CBD products would be legal in Ohio and not considered part of the medical marijuana program.
- Farmers could grow hemp under a three-year license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
- All hemp and hemp products would be tested to make sure they contain no more than 0.3 percent THC.
- Universities could grow or process hemp and hemp-derived CBD for research purposes without obtaining a license from the state.
The FDA published in the Federal Register last week that it will be holding a public hearing on products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived products on May 31, 2019, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Read the notice here
You can read part 1 of our in-depth look at Ohio’s new Hemp industry here: Ohio Senate Bill 57