COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A judge temporarily blocked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's executive order banning intoxicating hemp products and relief is being felt at shops across central Ohio that sell these products.
"We can take a deep breath, a sigh of relief, for just a minute at least," Hedz Up Head Shop employee Kelly Parker said. "It might not be a deep sigh of relief that we can keep, but it's one we can take for now."
Amid school funding concerns, where are lottery profits?Employees at Hedz Up Head Shop in Columbus said they've been on an emotional rollercoaster. Just Monday night, they were covering up some of the most popular products on their shelves; now they're back to selling them, at least for now.
"There's been so many customers that walk through the door and say how this stuff, you know CBD and hemp, it helps them out," Hedz Up Head Shop employee Victoria Fleming said.
Fleming said many of their customers left empty-handed Tuesday morning when the ban was set to take effect.
"I don't think it's harming anyone," customer Seth Jackson said. "I don't see really the big deal with it."
Fleming kept a running tally since opening up shop at 10 a.m.
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Hemp products make up 60 to 70% of their business.
"It's something I've been doing for a while," customer James Crossen said. "I use it recreationally and I use it for pain and all the other good benefits it has."
The shop's sales for the first half of Tuesday were down more than 65%, reflecting a huge hit for the family-owned business.
"I believe it's unconstitutional what the governor is doing, just banning another freedom that we have, a freedom to choose what we want to do, want to use," Hedz Up Head Shop Owner Terry Johnson said.
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"I ran out the door after a customer, I was like, 'Hey, wait, come back, we can sell again' and she was so excited, she was, like, 'Yay,'" Fleming said.
As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, Johnson shared their updated sales with NBC4. They were down by just more than 5%, marking a big recovery from that morning. He said he wants lawmakers to find a way to regulate -- not eliminate -- hemp products.
"I do believe that it's mainly for adults," Johnson said. "Children should not have access to it. You know, they say the same thing about alcohol or whatever, but children have a lot more access to alcohol than they do this, and that's at home in the fridge. That's more accessible than our products are. We at least keep them behind the counters."
The ruling gives shop owners like Johnson a chance to breathe for the time being. But if the ban goes through, he's concerned about the trickle-down effect.
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Johnson is calling this a small victory, but also a reminder of the uncertainty that still lies ahead.
"Hopefully, this new 14-day stay will help us be able to get the word out there better and get more people out there to fight for this because that's what we need," Parker said.
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