On October 1, Crain’s Cleveland Business quoted Tariq Naeem in “Court Decisions Build Momentum for Regulating Intoxicating Hemp Products.”  The article discusses how regulation of intoxicating hemp products in Ohio could be impacted by a recent ruling from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting claims made by manufacturers and sellers of hemp-derived products in Arkansas that the 2018 Farm Bill prohibited Arkansas from restricting sales of such products in the state.

Tariq commented that the decision is in line with similar rulings made in the Fourth Circuit and Seventh Circuit and helps create a “compelling and persuasive” narrative that could drive policy in Ohio and other states.

“The common decision (among these cases) is that the 2018 Farm Bill does not forbid states from defining hemp how they want to and putting restrictions on the availability of hemp products within their borders,” Tariq said. “The decisions are not binding on courts in the Sixth Circuit, but they are persuasive authority.”