Ohio’s Pharmacy Board has clarified that non-psychoactive CBD is a controlled cannabis product under state law and as such may only be sold in dispensaries, reports WCPO Cincinnati.
This means that groceries, supplement stores, co-ops, and other retail outlets that have been selling CBD products like coffee or hemp extract capsules will have to remove the products to remain compliant. This will frustrate some who use CBD to medicate things like anxiety, epilepsy or chronic pain — they will now have to go through the process of becoming a medical cannabis patient and locate a dispensary.
Ohio regulators say they are not enforcing the law just yet, but are providing clarification. However, the announcement was more than enough to cause some stores to pull the products.
“It’s frustrating. Other places are listening to them and are pulling the products from their shelves and the only person who’s being hurt there is the customer.” — E.R. Beach, owner of Hemptations, via WCPO
Ohio has been plagued with delays and other issues affecting the roll-out of its state medical cannabis program. The state still has yet to fully launch sales of cannabis, despite having already passed the program’s September 8 deadline.