Cannabis referendum divides Ohio cannabis advocates over hemp

A citizen-led group wants to roll back sweeping changes to Ohio cannabis law that will ban most intoxicating hemp products and tighten the state’s adult-use recreational marijuana program.Last week, Ohio Attorney General David Yost certified the title and summary language for a proposed referendum on provisions of Senate Bill 56 (SB 56), led by a group called Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. The certification will allow the group to begin collecting the nearly 250,000 signatures needed from across Ohio to get the referendum on the ballot this November.The certification comes after the group’s first effort was rejected in January over omissions and misstatements that Yost said did not accurately reflect the changes enacted by the legislature.SB 56 was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at the end of 2025, pushing forward a series of sweeping changes focused on clarifying Ohio’s cannabis law. The legislation prohibits smoking or vaping marijuana in public, restricts out-of-state marijuana, caps THC concentrates at 70%, and will ban most intoxicating hemp products from being sold outside of the state’s 197 licensed marijuana dispensaries. Provisions of the law regarding hemp are set to take effect this March.”Ohio will lose an estimated 6,000 businesses and will pull the rug out from under a growing industry with no clear path forward,” according to Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. “Not to mention that the full ripple effects are not even fully understood — the unintended consequences of SB 56 will be far reaching.”The Ohio Healthy Alternatives Association (OHHAA), a trade group representing hemp-related businesses and consumers, is supporting the referendum effort. The group and its members have long called for regulation of the hemp industry through measures like age gates and lab testing requirements. They say SB 56 would virtually end a nearly $1 billion industry in Ohio.”There are a lot of nuances to this bill and a lot of things that were passed under the cover of darkness, at late at night,” said Allison Schroeder, a spokesperson for the OHHAA. “So, we’re really trying to bring to light that this is not operating in the best interest of regulation either.”Last November, Ohio lawmakers added provisions to SB 56 banning intoxicating hemp after the U.S. Congress rolled a ban of intoxicating hemp products into the budget bill that ended the government shutdown. The federal regulations will begin to take effect at the end of the year, unless congressional lawmakers act and regardless of the referendum effort in Ohio.Still, Ohio Cannabis advocates remain divided over how SB 56 will effect the industry. The Ohio Cannabis Coalition (OHCANN), the state’s largest trade group representing marijuana dispensaries, cultivators, processors and testing labs — argues the legislation upholds the will of Ohio voters by preserving a safe, regulated adult-use cannabis market while closing dangerous loopholes on intoxicating hemp, OHCANN Director David Bowling said in a statement.”The referendum campaign is not being driven by licensed cannabis businesses that brought Issue 2 to the ballot in 2023,” Bowling said. “Instead, the campaign is being funded by intoxicating hemp interests that profit from the spread of misinformation.”Adrienne Robbins is the deputy executive director of OHCANN, she said the biggest win for consumers is the policy changes being put forward on intoxicating hemp.”Previously, there was no regulation,” Robbins said. “There was no testing on these dangerous, synthetic, unregulated products, and that’s a huge issue.”The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has also condemned the referendum on SB 56, saying the legislation upholds the will of voters while protecting public health. The group says the effort is about profit rather than defending what voters approved through Issue 2, the ballot initiative that legalized adult-use recreational marijuana in Ohio and was approved by more than 57 percent of voters.DeWine raised concerns over the proliferation of intoxicating hemp products, particularly those marketed to children and being sold at thousands of grocery stores, gas stations, and smoke shops across the state. DeWine signed an executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products, but the order faced legal challenges from the hemp industry and never took full effect.”Marijuana cannot be marketed to kids and it can’t be in packages that makes it look like candy,” DeWine said last October. “Intoxicating hemp, on the other hand, can and does look like candy. And they do it on purpose. They do it on purpose. They do it to attract kids.”If organizers with the referendum effort collect enough signatures, SB 56 would be put on pause until Ohio voters make a decision on the 2026 November ballot.

CINCINNATI —

A citizen-led group wants to roll back sweeping changes to Ohio cannabis law that will ban most intoxicating hemp products and tighten the state’s adult-use recreational marijuana program.

Last week, Ohio Attorney General David Yost certified the title and summary language for a proposed referendum on provisions of Senate Bill 56 (SB 56), led by a group called Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. The certification will allow the group to begin collecting the nearly 250,000 signatures needed from across Ohio to get the referendum on the ballot this November.

The certification comes after the group’s first effort was rejected in January over omissions and misstatements that Yost said did not accurately reflect the changes enacted by the legislature.

SB 56 was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at the end of 2025, pushing forward a series of sweeping changes focused on clarifying Ohio’s cannabis law. The legislation prohibits smoking or vaping marijuana in public, restricts out-of-state marijuana, caps THC concentrates at 70%, and will ban most intoxicating hemp products from being sold outside of the state’s 197 licensed marijuana dispensaries. Provisions of the law regarding hemp are set to take effect this March.

“Ohio will lose an estimated 6,000 businesses and will pull the rug out from under a growing industry with no clear path forward,” according to Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. “Not to mention that the full ripple effects are not even fully understood — the unintended consequences of SB 56 will be far reaching.”

The Ohio Healthy Alternatives Association (OHHAA), a trade group representing hemp-related businesses and consumers, is supporting the referendum effort. The group and its members have long called for regulation of the hemp industry through measures like age gates and lab testing requirements. They say SB 56 would virtually end a nearly $1 billion industry in Ohio.

“There are a lot of nuances to this bill and a lot of things that were passed under the cover of darkness, at late at night,” said Allison Schroeder, a spokesperson for the OHHAA. “So, we’re really trying to bring to light that this is not operating in the best interest of regulation either.”

Last November, Ohio lawmakers added provisions to SB 56 banning intoxicating hemp after the U.S. Congress rolled a ban of intoxicating hemp products into the budget bill that ended the government shutdown. The federal regulations will begin to take effect at the end of the year, unless congressional lawmakers act and regardless of the referendum effort in Ohio.

Still, Ohio Cannabis advocates remain divided over how SB 56 will effect the industry. The Ohio Cannabis Coalition (OHCANN), the state’s largest trade group representing marijuana dispensaries, cultivators, processors and testing labs — argues the legislation upholds the will of Ohio voters by preserving a safe, regulated adult-use cannabis market while closing dangerous loopholes on intoxicating hemp, OHCANN Director David Bowling said in a statement.

“The referendum campaign is not being driven by licensed cannabis businesses that brought Issue 2 to the ballot in 2023,” Bowling said. “Instead, the campaign is being funded by intoxicating hemp interests that profit from the spread of misinformation.”

Adrienne Robbins is the deputy executive director of OHCANN, she said the biggest win for consumers is the policy changes being put forward on intoxicating hemp.

“Previously, there was no regulation,” Robbins said. “There was no testing on these dangerous, synthetic, unregulated products, and that’s a huge issue.”

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has also condemned the referendum on SB 56, saying the legislation upholds the will of voters while protecting public health. The group says the effort is about profit rather than defending what voters approved through Issue 2, the ballot initiative that legalized adult-use recreational marijuana in Ohio and was approved by more than 57 percent of voters.

DeWine raised concerns over the proliferation of intoxicating hemp products, particularly those marketed to children and being sold at thousands of grocery stores, gas stations, and smoke shops across the state. DeWine signed an executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products, but the order faced legal challenges from the hemp industry and never took full effect.

“Marijuana cannot be marketed to kids and it can’t be in packages that makes it look like candy,” DeWine said last October. “Intoxicating hemp, on the other hand, can and does look like candy. And they do it on purpose. They do it on purpose. They do it to attract kids.”

If organizers with the referendum effort collect enough signatures, SB 56 would be put on pause until Ohio voters make a decision on the 2026 November ballot.

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