Ohio Governor DeWine Bans THC Candy, Drinks By Executive Order

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order Wednesday banning drinks, gummies and other “intoxicating hemp” containing THC.

Retailers in the Buckeye State will be required to remove all candy, drinks, cookies and other products containing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – the main psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant – from shelves by October 14.

“Hemp intoxicant products are known to have significant impacts on young, developing brains, but these products are legally marketed to children, sold to children, and ingested by children in Ohio,” DeWine said in a press release.

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Various intoxicants are marketed in colorful packaging imitating popular candy brands.

Exposure during adolescence, while the brain is still developing, has been linked to problems with learning, memory and attention, as well as changes in brain development, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order banning hemp intoxicants. (iStock)

Hemp intoxicant is made by manipulating compounds found in hemp plants to create toxic compounds like delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC.

Exposures to these compounds among people aged 19 and younger increased from 419 to 994 between 2021 and 2024, according to Ohio Poison Control (OPC).

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Among children aged 5 and under, the number of exposures almost tripled between 2021 and 2024, from 202 to 555.

About 90% of children aged 12 and under exposed to THC ended up in emergency rooms, and two-thirds required hospitalization, according to the OPC.

Various intoxicants are marketed in colorful packaging imitating the packaging of popular candy brands. (Office of Governor Mike DeWine)

Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that the problem stems from the lack of regulation of cannabis products.

“This ban is temporary but appropriate given the dangers.”

“The 2018 Farm Bill opens a Pandora’s Box, where hemp products are used to justify the unregulated use of THC gummies, hemp-based beverages and intoxicants,” he added.

The Farm Bill of 2018, or Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, legalized industrial hemp at the federal level.

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“This ban is temporary but appropriate given the dangers,” Siegel said.

DeWine noted that when Ohioans voted to legalize marijuana, they only voted to allow dispensaries to sell products to people 21 or older.

Retailers in the Buckeye State will be required to remove all THC products from their shelves by Tuesday, October 14. (Office of Governor Mike DeWine)

“Intoxicating hemp completely circumvents these laws, and we must do more to keep these products out of the hands of children,” the governor said.

All products containing THC must be returned to the manufacturer or turned over to law enforcement, the order states.

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Retailers who violate the order could face a fine of $500 per day if the products are still offered for sale, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture will have the authority to confiscate any of the products.