Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine details sting operation that saw minors purchasing hemp products
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — During a Wednesday press conference, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine revealed a sting operation that saw minors purchasing “intoxicating hemp” products from a gas station in the state.
On Wednesday, DeWine was joined by multiple public officials during his press conference to discuss “the dangers of intoxicating hemp.” At one point, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson presented images of THC-infused candies compared to images of actual candy, to make the point that intoxicating hemp products are targeted at children. Wilson also said that he had conducted a sting operation to send minors into a local gas station, where he claims they purchased the products without having their ages checked.
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DeWine said that the manufacturers of intoxicating hemp products knowingly target minors. He called on the state legislature to take immediate action. Additionally, he urged local business owners to take the products off their shelves.
DeWine first brought attention to the issue in early January. The products are currently legal due to a loophole in the 2018 farm bill despite causing marijuana-like effects — intoxicating hemp is defined as having a high-inducing active ingredient derived or processed from hemp.
“Because the federal and state hemp laws refer only to delta-9 THC content, that left the door open for hemp producers to create products different types of THC, like delta-8 THC,” said Tom Haren, Chair of Cannabis Practice at Frantz Ward.
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In DeWine’s first public comments about intoxicating hemp, he claimed that children as young as 12, 13 and 14 years old can buy the products and that they are hallucinogenic. However, the owner of Columbus Botanical Depot challenged those claims as false.
In early January, DeWine said that State Sen. Stephen Huffman is currently drafting a bill to address intoxicating hemp. As of Wednesday’s press conference, the bill was still being drafted.
The Ohio Senate passed HB86 — its version of the recreational marijuana bill — in December. The bill, which is currently awaiting a vote in the Ohio House of Representatives, addressed hemp products. It added additional definitions to close several loopholes that unintentionally allow for the sale of hemp products with additional THC compounds that have an intoxicating effect.
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