Senate Bill 57 was approved on July 30, 2019, to legalize hemp production in Ohio. Licensed individuals are permitted to grow and process hemp for fiber, grain production, and dietary needs within Ohio (ORC 928 and OAC 901). The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and approved by the USDA.

All growers and processors of industrial hemp for commercial purposes must obtain a license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Growing for personal use is prohibited.

A cultivator plants, waters, grows, fertilizes, tills or harvests a plant or crop. A cultivator also possesses or stores a plant or crop on a premise where the plant or crop was cultivated until transported to the first point of sale.

A processor converts hemp into a hemp product. A hemp product means any product, containing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than three-tenths of a percent, that is made with hemp. “Hemp product” includes hemp buds, flowers, cigarettes, cigars, shredded hemp, cosmetics, personal care products, dietary supplements or food intended for animal or human consumption, cloth, cordage, fiber, fuel, paint, paper, particleboard, and any other product containing one or more cannabinoids derived from hemp, including cannabidiol. Processing does not include on-farm drying or dehydrating of raw hemp materials by a licensed hemp cultivator for sale directly to a licensed hemp processor. Processing includes production and/or packaging of raw hemp flower for smokable hemp. Licensed processors are required to test their finished products. As of May 16, 2022, there were 65 registered hemp processors in the state.

In 2020, there were 200 licenses to cultivate hemp approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, equating to over 550 acres of hemp. In 2021 and 2022, 280 and 105 acres were planted in Ohio according to the National Hemp Report.

Ohio Hemp Industry Infographics

Ohio Cannabis Market