A second Ohio judge last week approved a temporary restraining order to pause enforcement of SB 56, the new state policy banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products, WCMH reports.
The ruling by Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown sides with the plaintiffs, Happy Harvest and Get Wright Lounge, in their lawsuit challenging the new policy. The suit claims that SB 56 violates federal law by classifying hemp-derived THC products as cannabis, not hemp, and regulating them under the state’s adult-use cannabis program.
State Rep. Jennifer Gross (R), who supports overturning SB 56, told WCMH that the issue goes beyond the definitions of hemp vs. cannabis products — that “It’s about whether the Ohio Constitution still means what it says.”
“When a conference committee can rewrite a bill overnight, strip out the provisions that earned it a majority, and then ram it through without three readings or proper committee review, every Ohioan loses — no matter which side of the issue they’re on. I took an oath to the Constitution, and I intend to keep it.” — Gross, in the report
Brown’s ruling is the second decision against SB 56 after a Sandusky County common pleas court judge ruled in early April that the policy change is “inherently discriminatory,” ordering a pause on its enforcement until a preliminary ruling is reached. The first ruling applies only to the plaintiffs in the case, and only for specific local operations. Meanwhile, Brown’s ruling applies statewide, but also only affects the plaintiffs.
SB 56, which took effect on March 31, also created new criminal penalties for the possession and consumption of cannabis products from out-of-state sources.
