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Prevention Action Alliance
Our
Thoughts... Ohio Legalizing Hemp?
The 2018 farm bill also known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of
2018 legalized the production of hemp as an agricultural commodity and
removed it from the list of controlled substances. Following in the
footsteps of the federal government, Ohio is now aiming to legalize the
growing of hemp and sale of hemp products at the state level through
Senate Bill 57 (Hemp Bill).
The sponsors of this bill, Senator Steve Huffman and Senator Brian
Hill, want this bill to pass through both the House and the Senate
before the General Assembly breaks for the summer so farmers can start
growing the crop in the 2020 growing season.
The Hemp Bill does all of the following:
Decriminalizes hemp and hemp products by excluding them from the
definition of marijuana that is used to enforce controlled substance
laws.
Prohibits the State Board of Pharmacy from listing hemp or hemp
products as controlled substances.
Requires the Director of Agriculture, in consultation with the Governor
and Attorney General, to submit a plan to regulate hemp cultivation to
the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval, in
accordance with federal law.
Requires the Director of Agriculture to establish a Hemp Cultivation
and Processing Program (Program) to monitor and regulate hemp
cultivation and the processing of hemp to produce cannabidiol.
Requires the Director to issue hemp cultivation licenses and hemp
processing licenses.
Requires the Director, in consultation with the Governor and the
Attorney General, to adopt rules establishing standards and procedures
for the Program that comply with federal law.
Establishes prohibitions, procedures, criminal penalties, and
additional enforcement mechanisms to enforce the Program and rules
adopted under it.
Establishes in the state treasury the Hemp Program Fund, which must be
used to administer and enforce the Program.
Establishes a Hemp Marketing Program
Several pro-business and pro-farmer organizations have come out to
support the bill, including The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, The Ohio
Council of Retail Merchants, the National Federation of Independent
Business (NFIB), the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Grocers Association,
The Ohio Wholesale Marketers Association, the American Massage Therapy
Association and others.
Based off the fact that this bill passed out of the House in a month
after being introduced, it is evident that this piece of legislation is
on a track to be signed into law. While the Hemp Bill would fund a
marketing program for Ohio’s hemp, it doesn’t have any funding
dedicated to educating Ohioans about hemp, how to identify it, and its
effects. That is unacceptable. We at Prevention Action Alliance are
asking that money for prevention be attached to this bill, and we’re
asking you to echo this call by contacting your legislator and making
your voice heard.
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