The state’s attorney general is issuing a container of THC-containing edible products from stores in Virginia. As states continue to expand access to legal marijuana, a distinct market for cannabis-based intoxicants has blossomed. (Photo: Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury)
Ohioans involved in the intoxicating cannabis industry fear a bill headed to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office will put them out of business.
Ohio Senate Bill 56 then it’s on its way to DeWine Ohio Senate Republicans passed the bill Tuesday. The Ohio House passed the bill last month after it advanced to a conference committee.
Ohio’s bill follows recent federal changes by prohibiting the sale of intoxicating cannabis products outside licensed marijuana dispensaries. If DeWine signs the bill before the new year, the ban could go into effect as early as March.
“This bill will bankrupt businesses like mine and families like mine,” said Ahmad Khalil, one of the owners of Hippie Hut Smoke Shop, which has locations in Ohio and Washington.
“In one night, we will directly impact tens of thousands of people, which will spill over into 50,000 families who are also dependent on that person.”
Khalil has been in the cannabis industry for nine years.
“It was my American dream, so to see it taken away from you hurts a little bit,” he said.
Jason Friedman, owner of Ohio CBD Guy in Cincinnati, said it’s extremely frustrating.
“My initial plan will be to permanently close my East Walnut Hills location, which will result in reduced hours and the likely loss of jobs for some of my employees,” he said.
Instead of a ban, Friedman wants regulations for the cannabis industry, such as age restrictions, packaging restrictions and testing requirements.
“For the state to claim it is changing its position and banning regulation because of what the federal government did in banning narcotic cannabis in a recent spending bill makes no sense because marijuana has been illegal at the federal level all along,” he said.
Mark Fashian, president of cannabis wholesaler Midwest Analytical Solutions in Delaware, Ohio, said he and hundreds of others would go out of business if it became law.
It partners with more than 500 stores across Ohio that sell intoxicating cannabis products.
“What (lawmakers) did is just despicable,” he said. “It’s actually slowed down my business a lot because a lot of companies are afraid to buy products right now because they don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
Fashian said the ban on intoxicating cannabis has nothing to do with protecting children.
“If we want to protect children, let them be 21 and older,” he said. “If there’s an increase in kids grabbing things like this, it’s because mom and dad are being careless enough and they leave it on the kitchen table and the kids take it from them.”
Fashian said he expects lawsuits if the bill is signed into law.
Kim Bryant, a salesperson at Your CBD Store Marion, said these products assist people deal with anxiety, sleep and pain.
“It’s very sad for me,” she said. “This product helps so many people.”
Bryant said the average age of their customers is 50 and she doesn’t think they will want to go to a marijuana dispensary.
The bill also allows the production, distribution and sale of beverages containing THC containing five milligrams until December 31, 2026.
Marijuana
Ohio SB 56 also makes changes to the state’s marijuana law.
It would reduce THC levels in adult-use marijuana extracts from a maximum of 90% to a maximum of 70%, limit THC levels in adult-use flower to 35%, and ban smoking in most public places.
The bill prohibits possession of marijuana outside its original packaging and requires drivers to keep marijuana in the trunk of their car while driving.
“This is a recriminalization bill,” said Morgan Fox, policy director at the advocacy group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
“Civil protections for cannabis consumers have been stripped away with absolutely zero justification, which is incredibly disappointing,” Fox said.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Washington and Washington require marijuana to be transported in a sealed package and/or in the trunk of a car, Fox said.
“I am concerned that in Ohio we will see an emphasis on enforcement coupled with little or no consumer education from the state,” he said. “People may think they are completely compliant and yet engage in activities that could lead to prosecution.”
A similar law in Illinois has maintained high levels of marijuana arrests following legalization, with 6,944 arrests in 2024, according to NORML.
The bill also criminalizes bringing legal marijuana from another state back into Ohio.
“To my knowledge, no other state other than Ohio explicitly prohibits the possession of cannabis that is not native to that state,” Fox said.
He said he was disappointed but not surprised.
“(Ohio lawmakers) have been trying to weaken voter-approved cannabis consumer protection laws and regulations since voters approved Issue 2,” he said. “(It) goes completely against the will of the voters.”
Ohioans passed a citizen-initiated bill legalize recreational marijuana in 2023 with 57% of the votes. Sales started in August 2024 and exceeded $702.5 million in the first year.
The Ohio Cannabis Coalition is pleased that lawmakers voted to ban intoxicating cannabis products and give 36% of revenues from adult-use marijuana sales to municipalities and city counties that have recreational marijuana dispensaries.
“Ohio is taking decisive action to protect families and show leadership as one of the first states in the nation to take action since closing the Farm Bill loophole,” said OHCANN Executive Director David Bowling. “These tax dollars are an important way the cannabis industry benefits the communities in which they live and operate.”
Follow a Capital Journal reporter Megan Henry in Bluesky.
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