Rhinegeist and Fifty West breweries are among 14 businesses that may continue selling THC beverages after a federal judge granted a two-week restraining order allowing the companies to resume sales during litigation over a new state law restricting those products.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick granted the order Aug. 7, less than a month after granting a preliminary injunction that allows 10 companies in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Nelsonville and outside Ohio to sell THC drinks and other hemp products.
The plaintiffs sued the state, superintendent of the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, executive director of the Ohio Investigative Unit, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and 96 county and municipal prosecutors’ offices.
The 14 plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are:
The plaintiffs either are located in states other than Ohio or manufacture their products with hemp sourced from states other than Ohio or both.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs asked that any criminal, civil or administrative action not be taken against them by the defendants for selling hemp-derived products as long as they comply with federal law and Ohio laws that were in place before Senate Bill 56, which bans most hemp products in Ohio.
Helmick also granted a preliminary injunction in a separate lawsuit on July 13 that allows businesses, including Cincinnati-based Urban Artifact, to sell THC drinks and other hemp products. The ruling extended a previous decision and will remain in place while the lawsuit plays out.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed the law on Dec. 19. It initially included a grace period for THC beverages that would have permitted breweries, bars and retailers to sell the drinks through 2026. DeWine vetoed that provision, meaning the drinks couldn’t be sold after March 20.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Some Ohio companies may resume THC drink sales under judge’s ruling
Reporting by Belinda M. Paschal and Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Belinda M. Paschal and Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
