TOLEDO, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 57 into law Tuesday decriminalizing hemp and paving the way for its development in Ohio.
The Toledo Hemp Center has been supplying hemp products for the past five years. But Monday was the first day store owners said they feel accepted in the eyes of Ohio leaders.
The bill also makes hemp a legal crop for Ohio farmers to cultivate and process.
"I think it allows our company to begin to expand more and feel a lot more comfortable, but at the same time, it just really puts on paper what we've been doing in Ohio for the past 10 years," Kevin Spitler, owner of the Toledo Hemp Center, said.
The Toledo Hemp Center has more than 300 products that help with a variety of issues including high levels of stress and anxiety.
Spitler said many people are confused on the difference between hemp and marijuana. Hemp is a cannabis plant that does not have as strong of an effect as marijuana. Now under the law, farmers in Ohio will be able to get a license to grow hemp.
According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the goal is to have farmers licensed and able to plant hemp by next spring.
"It creates that comfort level to the ability for people to come in and feel comfortable coming into the store," Spitler said.
The ODA is still working out the details regarding rules and regulations for farmers growing hemp.