FINDLAY, Ohio (WLIO) — The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is checking whether residents are following Ohio’s marijuana laws.
With help from Butler County’s Aviation Division and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, on August 5th, Hancock deputies and members of the METRICH Drug Task Force located 42 marijuana plots in the county, containing 289 plants. Ohio law allows a person over 21 years old to grow up to six plants, with a maximum of 12 plants per household. Only one additional location was found growing more marijuana plants than allowed, and the extra plants will be destroyed.
Law enforcement also spoke to six residents who had marijuana plants growing in areas accessible to minors. Ohio law states marijuana plants must be grown or cultivated in a secure area that prevents access to individuals under 21 years old. No charges were issued from the marijuana operation.
Media Release from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office
On August 5, 2025, the Hancock County Sheriff's Office and the Hancock-METRICH Drug Task Force in coordination with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Butler County Sheriff's Office Aviation Division, conduct a Marijuana Eradication Operation in Hancock County. During the operation, law enforcement located forty-two (42) marijuana plots containing 289 plants along with one additional location where law enforcement units removed six (6) marijuana plants that were in excess of the permitted legal amount to cultivate.
Enforcement personnel spoke with the property owners at six (6) of the locations to educate them on the proper procedures for cultivating marijuana so they would be compliant with Ohio law. A majority of these locations had plants that were easily accessible by children, with indicators such as toys present near the marijuana plants. These locations were not enclosed to prevent access by anyone under twenty-one years of age and were visible from a public space by law enforcement.
As a reminder, while it is legal to cultivate marijuana, there are restrictions that individuals must remember. Below are a couple of the main points discussed with individuals who were found not in compliance with Ohio Revised Code Section 3780.29. All citizens need to be aware of Ohio law when cultivating marijuana.
- Individuals who are at least twenty-one years of age can cultivate, grow and possess up to six (6) plants at their primary residence.
- There can be up to twelve (12) plants cultivated or grown at a single residence where two or more individuals who are at least twenty-one years of age reside at any one time.
- Cultivation or growing of adult use cannabis only takes place within a secured closet, room, greenhouse, or other enclosed area in or on the grounds of the residence that prevents access by individuals less than twenty-one years of age, and which is not visible by normal unaided vision from a public space.
The six (6) marijuana plants that were seized will be destroyed and no charges are filed against any of the individuals that law enforcement spoke with about not complying with the rules of O.R.C. Section 3780.29.
