CLEVELAND -- Ohio lawmakers are preparing to revisit regulations on intoxicating hemp products in the upcoming legislative session, joining many states grappling with how to control this booming but largely unchecked industry.

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp and its seeds from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of controlled substances, to promote industrial use of the plant in textiles, rope, car parts and more. That change unintentionally created a gap in regulation, allowing for an industry selling intoxicating hemp products -- those which contain THC derived from hemp, not marijuana -- to boom.

The federal loophole has meant that it is up to individual states to regulate these products, which range from edibles and vapes sold in smoke shops to beverages made by major marketer

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