The Ohio Department of Agriculture planted the state's first legal hemp crop Thursday, days after Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill decriminalizing hemp products in the state.The first plants were placed in the ground at the department's campus by Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda, along with leaders of the Hemp Program and Division of Plant Health.DeWine signed Senate Bill 57 on Tuesday decriminalizing hemp and CBD products and paving the way for the development of a new hemp industry in the state.Senate Bill 57 allows Ohio farmers and university researchers to grow industrial hemp and legalizes the sale of hemp-derived cannabidiol oil, or CBD. The Ohio Department of Agriculture will administer the newly created hemp program.The legislation allows for cultivation of hemp as long as it contains less than 0.3% THC, the cannabis compound that gives marijuana its high. It would be regulated by the state.Ohio is the 47th state to regulate hemp. The Ohio Farm Bureau has predicted it will become the state’s third-largest crop, behind corn and soybeans.Hemp is a cannabis plant that does not produce intoxicating effects, grown for its many industrial uses. Hemp contains a fiber, a grain and oil that can be extracted for CBD, which is now being used in food and dietary supplements.The hemp program sets up a licensing structure for farmers who are interested in growing the crop and those interested in processing it, officials with the department said. It also allows for universities to grow and cultivate the crop for research purposes. ODA will also be testing CBD and hemp products for safety and accurate labeling to protect Ohio consumers.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture planted the state's first legal hemp crop Thursday, days after Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill decriminalizing hemp products in the state.

The first plants were placed in the ground at the department's campus by Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda, along with leaders of the Hemp Program and Division of Plant Health.

Advertisement Related Content Gov. DeWine signs bill legalizing hemp, CBD products in Ohio

DeWine signed Senate Bill 57 on Tuesday decriminalizing hemp and CBD products and paving the way for the development of a new hemp industry in the state.

Senate Bill 57 allows Ohio farmers and university researchers to grow industrial hemp and legalizes the sale of hemp-derived cannabidiol oil, or CBD.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture will administer the newly created hemp program.



The legislation allows for cultivation of hemp as long as it contains less than 0.3% THC, the cannabis compound that gives marijuana its high. It would be regulated by the state.

Ohio is the 47th state to regulate hemp. The Ohio Farm Bureau has predicted it will become the state’s third-largest crop, behind corn and soybeans.

Hemp is a cannabis plant that does not produce intoxicating effects, grown for its many industrial uses. Hemp contains a fiber, a grain and oil that can be extracted for CBD, which is now being used in food and dietary supplements.

The hemp program sets up a licensing structure for farmers who are interested in growing the crop and those interested in processing it, officials with the department said. It also allows for universities to grow and cultivate the crop for research purposes. ODA will also be testing CBD and hemp products for safety and accurate labeling to protect Ohio consumers.