A bill to legalize industrial hemp and the sale of CBD products passed through the Ohio Senate 30-0 on Thursday and now heads to the Ohio House for voting.

The bill would also allow people to grow industrial grade hemp.

“While industrial hemp and marijuana both derive from the same plant type, they possess many different properties,” said Sen. Stephen Huffman, a Republican and bill sponsor. “The main difference is industrial hemp contains only trace amounts of THC.”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture will regulate the growing of industrial hemp, which would license cultivators and processors. Plants will be tested to ensure they don’t contain more than 0.3% THC.

In December 2018 through the Farm Bill, Congress removed hemp from scheduled substance list.

Senate Bill 57 would allow for the sale and use of CBD products 90 days from when the bill is signed by the governor. Rules and regulations could take several months.

Ohio State Pharmacy Board clarified last August that CBD falls under the purview of the state’s medical marijuana program and had to be sold only at dispensaries.

We will keep you posted as things develop.