A line-item veto by Ohio governor Mike DeWine is pushing the state’s beverage producers into unfamiliar territory which has turned brewery owners into political advocates as they fight to preserve a fast-growing category of low-dose THC drinks.
Producers like Urban Artifact and Fifty West Brewing Company are now urging lawmakers to override the governor’s decision to strike beverage language from Ohio Senate Bill 56, which had established rules for hemp-derived THC drinks in the state.
The legislation, approved by both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly, would have created oversight for 5-milligram THC beverages, restricted sales to those 21 and older, and limited distribution to licensed establishments. DeWine’s line-item veto removed those provisions, leaving the category in regulatory limbo and prompting producers to launch a public campaign through Save Ohio Beverages Coalition and the website SaveOhioBevs.com.
For breweries that have invested in the category, the stakes extend beyond a single product line.
Bret Kollmann-Baker, co-founder of Urban Artifact and maker of Coastalo, said the company entered THC beverages as a strategic move into a developing market rather than a departure from its beverage expertise.
READ MORE: Fifty West Debuts Sunflower THC Non-Alcoholic THC Seltzer
“It’s a new market, so it’s determining what white space do you want, and how do you set yourself apart,” Kollmann-Baker said this week at the 2026 Ohio Craft Brewers Conference. “At the end of the day, there’s not much difference between beverages. It’s just formulation… it really comes down to the skill of your sales people and your marketing and design people.”
Kollmann-Baker said the barrier to entry for non-alcoholic THC beverages is lower than traditional brewing, shifting competition toward branding, positioning and execution rather than technical production.
“Just because you’re first doesn’t mean you’re going to own that market,” he said. “What’s going to set you apart is how good you are at executing.”
The category’s appeal extends beyond novelty, according to Bobby Slatery, co-founder of Fifty West, which produces Sunflower, a THC seltzer and soda for the Cincinnati brewery. Slatery described the products as part of a broader shift in how consumers approach drinks.
“I think that the future of beverage is going to be very specific about occasions,” Slatery said. “We’re not even talking about hemp versus alcohol. We’re talking about what’s the occasion that you want to define, and how do you want to feel.”
Slatery compared the emergence of THC beverages to earlier shifts in drink culture with the addition of sports drinks to energy beverages in the 90s and 00s which were driven by consumers seeking specific outcomes.
“When I started this, I just thought we were making drinks with pot,” he said. “But it’s completely different. It’s misunderstood… and it’s been a blast.”
Even without the veto fight, producers say the category already faces operational complexity, particularly as companies expand across state lines without federal oversight.
Kollmann-Baker said regulatory variation between states creates compliance challenges that can affect labeling, packaging and inventory decisions.
“Especially with hemp, it’s just figuring out what is legal in what state and what’s required on what label,” he said. “Trying to find something that covers as many bases as possible, but also is able to switch quickly when the landscapes change… that’s been the biggest problem for us.”
Slatery said the lack of federal standards is forcing producers to help shape regulations as they go.
“We don’t have a federal governing body that oversees all this,” he said. “Every state’s just making up their own rules… so what we have to do as a community and as this industry continues to grow, is we have to help write these rules.”
The evolving landscape has also pushed breweries into advocacy roles they didn’t anticipate.
“I feel like I had to turn into a politician, which is not what I signed up for,” Slatery said. “But it’s a fun time to be in the space… it’s just going to take a little bit.”
With lawmakers now considering whether to override the veto, brewery owners like Kollmann-Baker and Slattery say the outcome could influence not only Ohio’s market but also how other states approach low-dose THC beverages and whether breweries see the category as a viable extension of their business.
