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Industry and health witnesses warn Ohio committee that hemp ban or dispensary-only sales would harm small businesses and patients
Summary
At the fourth hearing on Senate Bill 326 and a related substitute House Bill 327 opponent testimony, farmers, business owners and a nurse warned lawmakers that restricting hemp sales to licensed dispensaries or banning federally legal hemp products would damage small Ohio businesses, reduce access for elderly and medical consumers, and produce unintended legal and logistical consequences for contractors and public projects; no committee votes occurred on these measures.
Multiple witnesses spoke in opposition to restrictive provisions affecting hemp products and to administrative provisions raised in a related substitute bill.
Chris Runyon, president of the Ohio Contractors Association, testified in opposition to substitute House Bill 327, focusing on construction-related provisions. Runyon argued the bill’s compliance threshold unfairly targets the construction industry (compliance would begin at the first employee for construction while other employers would face a larger threshold), said E-Verify mechanics may conflict with federal I-9 and E-Verify rules, and warned that language that voids public contracts for missing E-Verify requirements could halt public projects and leave contractors unpaid. He also raised concerns about inconsistent…
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