State bans products with dangerous substances amid growing fears of overuse by children

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed an executive order banning drinks, gummies and other “hemp intoxicants” that contain THC.

Retailers in the Buckeye State will be required to remove all gummies, 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, yet these products are legally marketed to children, sold to children, and ingested by children in Ohio,” DeWine said in a news release.

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Several intoxicating products are marketed in colorful packaging that emulates popular candy brands.

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

Intoxicating hemp is produced by manipulating compounds found in hemp plants to create toxic compounds such as delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC.

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

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Among children under five years old, the number of exposures almost tripled between 2021 and 2024, going from 202 to 555.

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

News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told News Digital that the problem stems from a 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-infused hemp gummies, beverages and intoxicants,” he added.

The Farm Bill of 2018, or the Agricultural 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 license dispensaries to sell products to people 21 and older.

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

Any product containing THC must be returned to the manufacturer or turned over to authorities, 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.