Hemp businesses claim SB 56 enforcement favors Ohio dispensaries

Intoxicating hemp sellers assert unequal regulatory application under Ohio law as court battles over product classification continue.

FILE — statehouse · B.D. Gilfry / CC BY-SA 2.0

Hemp businesses operating in Ohio are contending that enforcement of SB 56 unfairly benefits the state's licensed marijuana dispensary sector, according to reporting by The Statehouse News Bureau. The complaint suggests a disparity in how regulators are treating the two product categories—one federally legal hemp-derived intoxicants and the other state-licensed cannabis.

Ohio's hemp and cannabis regulatory landscape remains contested. Concurrent litigation over intoxicating hemp products continues in state courts, and a California company has filed suit to overturn Ohio's ban on such products. Meanwhile, Ohio's adult-use dispensary market has grown to 226 open retail locations as of late September, though prices have risen through the summer of 2026, potentially widening the competitive gap.

The core issue appears to be regulatory consistency: whether hemp and cannabis sellers face different enforcement standards under the same law. Watch whether Ohio's legislature or courts clarify the enforcement framework or whether hemp sellers secure legal injunctions that force uniform application.