Tuesday, Ohio became the most recent state to legalize hemp and CBD products within its borders.
Federal legalization of hemp came in December 2018, a fact well-known to followers of the Nothing But Hemp blog. Still, states across the union have adopted varied policies with regard to hemp and its fruitful derivative CBD since, so seeing the legalization in Ohio is encouraging nonetheless.
In the wake of Ohio’s governor signing the bill, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is tasked with drafting up new rules and structures within which farmers in the state can pursue their ventures in hemp. [1]
Ohio is the 46th state to legalize hemp and CBD. [2]
"We believe the safeguards are in place," Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said at the bill signing on Tuesday. "We believe it will provide more opportunity for Ohio consumers, more opportunities for Ohio farmers.” [1]
According to a CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio Agriculture Dept. Head Dorothy Pelanda said the Bill 57 signature brought an influx of requests and inquiries to her department from interested farmers who want to get in on the hemp farming business. [3]
“Farmers wanted to know how to get a license,” she said. [3]
Pelanda told reporters that the Department of Agriculture will request $12 million from the state to set up labs to test imports of hemp and CBD, including equipment, lab technicians and other resources. [3]
Many other markets of CBD and hemp products use private third-party testing sites and labs to avoid the overhead of departments like the one Pelanda plans.
Still, the new law in Ohio will help entrepreneurs like Dave Arend shore up their CBD store owning prospects in the future. [2]
“I think this removes the stigma that what we sell is medical marijuana,’’ Arend told USA Today. “It’s not, and we definitely anticipate a lot more customers who want the benefit of CBD without the high of medical marijuana.’’ [2]
Luckily for researchers in Ohio’s universities as well as eager entrepreneurs, hemp is so vivacious and adaptable that even those who are planting late in the season could see substantial hemp yields by the end of the growing season this year. [2]
The changes to Ohio law couldn’t come soon enough, as many businesses centered around hemp were subject to the brutal state and federal crack downs on cannabis businesses this February. [2]
As more people are allowed to follow their business interests undeterred, the economy will grow and more peoples’ lives will be improved by CBD.
Sources
[1] https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-07-31/ohio-legalizes-hemp-cbd
