Judge extends block on DeWine’s intoxicating hemp ban

A judge in Franklin County this week extended a block on Gov. Mike DeWine’s ban on intoxicating hemp products.

This is the second time an injunction hearing has been postponed, according to Cleveland.com.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Carl Aveni issued a continuance order, which rescheduled the hearing to Jan. 29, 2026.
The temporary restraining order blocking DeWine’s executive order will remain in effect until further notice.

The news source reported that the hearing had been scheduled for this week but was postponed due to bad weather that shut down the Franklin County courthouse.

The recent news came after DeWine signed an executive order that would target “dangerous” and “intoxicating” hemp.

DeWine announced that he signed the order during a media briefing, saying that the reason why he did this was that the products are unregulated, untested and packaged to mimic candy. According to DeWine, this is a clear sign that the manufacturers are intentionally targeting children.

“It’s really become a problem in Ohio; it’s become a problem across the country,” he said. “They do it on purpose; they do it to attract kids.”
In response, Titan Logistics Group, Fumee Smoke & Vape and Invicta Nutraceuticals, members of the Ohio Healthy Alternatives Association, filed the lawsuit in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

“Governor DeWine’s actions are a clear usurpation of the Legislature’s power,” they said in the complaint. “The public interest will be served by preventing a sitting governor from taking unilateral, unlawful action anytime the Legislature does not timely take action he/she requests.”

The organizations added that DeWine “lacks a basis to use an executive order to regulate all hemp products because there is no evidence hemp products pose an imminent threat to public health.”

Soon after that, Aveni put a stop to DeWine’s ban on intoxicating hemp, temporarily pausing an executive order as it was set to take effect.

Then, the Ohio House advanced Senate Bill 56 that would add intoxicating hemp products to the state’s laws that regulate marijuana, thus banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products except through a licensed, regulated hemp dispensary.

“This legislation is a reasonable compromise that protects kids from illicit intoxicating products but still provides an avenue for existing hemp businesses to remain open under regulatory oversight,” state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, said. “The broad bipartisan support for this bill shows that we respected the will of the voters regarding Issue 2 and guaranteed that local communities can finally begin to receive the tax revenue they deserve.”

The Ohio Senate also passed Senate Bill 56, sending the final version to DeWine.