PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The Lake County Narcotics Agency is on a mission to educate local businesses about the laws surrounding CBD and hemp products that can and can’t be sold at Ohio stores.
Lt. Brad Kemp has been crisscrossing Lake County armed with information sheets. He’s visiting gas stations, convenience stores, and vape shops, explaining the laws surrounding products that can be legally sold. He said the agency wants to be sure that business owners are educated and understand state laws first.
"It's confusing for us in law enforcement because the THC laws have changed so much and always changing, “ he said. “So instead of targeting them, we're trying to get them to work with us a little better because a lot of owners aren't knowledgeable about the changes in the law,” added Kemp.
The lieutenant said he prefers education over enforcement, at least initially.
"It's more of an educational process. I would rather educate them, tell them not to do it and give them a warning. The education is a warning; if they continue, then they can be penalized," Kemp said.
Kemp believes most business owners think they are following the law when purchasing products from distributors.
"A lot of these guys are going down to distributors, possibly in Cleveland, buying what they're buying. They’re told it’s legal, maybe it is in California or Michigan, but wind up selling it here," he explained. And it’s not legal here.
The newest challenge involves educating store owners about Kratom-related products that became illegal in Ohio last week. During the visits to 10 stores on Tuesday, Kemp found that two stores had no knowledge about the new restrictions.
Kemp said this program started a few months ago, and so far, most have been compliant after learning the laws.
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