COLUMBUS — Senate Bill 56 takes effect in Ohio on March 20, 2026, granting law enforcement the authority to remove intoxicating THC products from unlicensed retail locations. The new law aims to restrict the sale of unregulated substances that are often marketed to children outside of the state’s legal cannabis system.
The legislation reclassifies these intoxicating products as marijuana, making it illegal to grow, manufacture, or sell them without a license. This regulatory shift requires all such products to fall under the oversight of the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control.
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David Bowling serves as the executive director of OHCANN, the Ohio Cannabis Coalition. According to Bowling, many intoxicating products currently available in the state are not sourced from local hemp farms but are instead illegal marijuana or chemicals imported from California or China.
“SB 56 gives law enforcement clear authority to ensure that intoxicating THC products are no longer freely sold to children through thousands of locations in Ohio,” Bowling said. “This law will prevent unregulated products from reaching children and strengthen public safety across Ohio.”
Industry leaders emphasized that licensed businesses must meet strict requirements that unlicensed retailers do not follow. Andy Rayburn is the president and co-founder of Buckeye Relief, a licensed cannabis company.
Rayburn noted that the stores targeted by the new law have never been part of the state’s legal framework.“
The retailers of these products are traffickers of dangerous, illegal drugs to children and have never been involved with the legal Ohio market,” Rayburn said. “We must get these dangerous drugs out of the hands of children and shut these stores down.”
Licensed cannabis businesses in Ohio pay millions of dollars in licensure fees and invest in testing, security, and employee training. These operations also support local communities through tax revenue and job creation.
Currently, there are more than 200 licensed retail stores across the state that sell regulated and tested products to adults.
The new state regulations align with federal actions expected to take effect later this year. These federal measures seek to close a “Farm Bill loophole” that has allowed foreign interests to bypass state marijuana programs and sell unregulated intoxicating products in the open market.
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