DAYTON — A new Ohio law has banned the sale of intoxicating hemp products at unlicensed retail locations, forcing many smoke shops to remove inventory from their shelves.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Senate Bill 56 aims to restrict access to these products for minors by limiting where they can be sold.
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The ban specifically targets intoxicating hemp found in items such as vapes and gummies.
Retailers without the proper licensing are currently restructuring their storefronts and replacing the prohibited items with alternative products like nicotine vapes.
Smokers Plus in Dayton is among the businesses currently adjusting to the new requirements.
Employees have been moving hemp-based vapes and gummies off the shelves to make room for other inventory.
Rabi Ahmed is the manager at Smokers Plus.
He has been packing up the prohibited products and sending them back to the factory since Friday to remain in compliance with the state law.
While Ahmed said he agrees that intoxicating hemp should not be available to minors, he expressed a preference for stricter regulations over a total ban for unlicensed retailers.
He noted that despite the change in legality, customer interest in the products has remained high.
“The thing is since three days, like more than 80 customers ask for the same product,” Ahmed said. “They go to different stores, they come here and say, ‘Are you selling this? But of course, they already know it’s not legal in Ohio.”
The impact of the legislation has varied across the industry.
While some businesses are focusing on alternative sales, several other smoke shops have closed permanently since the ban took effect.
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