Most of the attention on lawmakers has focused on their approval of a state budget 17 days after the deadline. But they also passed a bill to decriminalize hemp and license its cultivation.
Republican Representative Kyle Koehler says Ohio is one of a handful of states that haven’t allowed hemp cultivation.
"It is imperative that Ohio moves quickly so that our farmers can take advantage of a domestic hemp marketplace and catch up with our neighboring states," Koehler says.
The bill, which easily passed in the House and Senate, also legalizes the sales of CBD oil which is derived from hemp. The products must limit the level of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high. Ohio farmers and the business community backed the bill. Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to sign it into law soon.