Overview
- Attorney General Dave Yost declined to certify the petition summary targeting Senate Bill 56, citing omissions and misstatements that he said would mislead potential signers.
- Organizers with Ohioans for Cannabis Choice say they will revise the summary, collect 1,000 additional signatures, and resubmit in hopes of qualifying for the November ballot under Ohio’s statewide and county distribution thresholds.
- Senate Bill 56, signed in December and slated to take effect March 20, restricts sales of intoxicating hemp products to state-approved dispensaries and would ban or heavily limit items such as THC beverages and many delta-8 products.
- The law also lowers THC caps for adult-use products, imposes broad public-smoking prohibitions, requires original packaging and trunk storage in vehicles, and criminalizes bringing marijuana purchased out of state back into Ohio.
- Opponents warn the hemp restrictions could shutter small businesses and cost jobs, while Gov. Mike DeWine and supporters say the changes close safety gaps and address loopholes in prior cannabis rules.