CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Owners of a hemp and delta-8 dispensary on Western Avenue are crying foul after the Chillicothe Police Department executed a second search warrant at their business this week — nearly 10 months after an initial raid that resulted in no criminal charges.
According to sources close to the shop, several marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles descended on the location Tuesday morning, armed with a new warrant. Officers reportedly seized products and paperwork during the operation, marking the second time in under a year that local police have targeted the store.
The owners insist they are — and always have been — fully compliant with federal law under the 2018 Farm Bill, signed by then-President Donald Trump, which legalized hemp and its derivatives containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. “We’re selling legal hemp products, not marijuana,” one owner told reporters off the record. “This feels like they’re just trying to weed us out.”
In Ohio, efforts to ban or heavily restrict these so-called “diet weed” products (including delta-8 THC, delta-10, and THCA flower) stalled in the Statehouse last year and have yet to pass in the current legislative session. The products remain in a gray area: legal under federal guidelines but often labeled “illegal marijuana” by local law enforcement testing for total THC rather than distinguishing delta-9 levels.
On the federal level, some lawmakers have floated amendments to the 2018 Farm Bill that would close the loophole allowing intoxicating hemp derivatives. Critics point out the irony — and the money trail: large, state-licensed marijuana dispensaries have poured millions into political campaigns and PACs, while arguing that small hemp shops undercut their profits and “threaten public safety.”
Notably, the owners of the Chillicothe store have faced zero criminal charges stemming from the first raid almost a year ago. Attorneys representing the business called Tuesday’s action a clear case of harassment.
“Let’s be blunt: this isn’t law enforcement — this is lawn enforcement,” said lawyers who are working with the owners. “The cops are high on power, rolling up again with no probable cause beyond the last bust that went up in smoke. No charges after raid one? Now they’re back for a sequel, fishing in the same dry pond. It’s blatant harassment, and it stinks worse than skunk weed. My clients are getting joint-raided while big cannabis cashes the checks. If this isn’t selective prosecution to protect the big boys’ bud-get, I don’t know what is.”
Police have not released an official statement on the latest raid, and no arrests were made on scene. The dispensary remains open for business as owners vow to fight any potential charges in court.