“The referendum effort is about putting profits from unregulated hemp and gas station weed sales over people.”
By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal
Ohioans for Cannabis Choice can start collecting signatures to get one Referendum votes to block state voter-approved recreational marijuana law change. and ban intoxicating hemp products. But there are others in the industry who disagree with the new effort.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost this week approved a referendum that would repeal Ohio Senate Bill 56, which takes effect March 20. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed the bill into law on Dec. 19.
Yost’s approval comes after the language was initially rejected due to “omissions and misrepresentations,” but Cannabis Choice for Ohio made changes to the language and resubmitted the application.
“My certification … should not be construed as an endorsement of the enforceability and constitutionality of the referendum petition,” Yost wrote in the letter certifying the petition.
Ohioans voted to legalize marijuana in 2023, with recreational sales beginning in August 2024 and sales exceeding $836 million in 2025.
The new law will reduce THC levels in adult marijuana extracts from 90 percent to a maximum of 70 percent, limit THC levels in adult flower to 35 percent, and ban smoking in most public places.
Possession of marijuana outside of its original container is prohibited criminalizes bringing marijuana from another state into Ohio. The legislation also requires drivers to keep marijuana in the trunk of their car while driving.
The Ohio Cannabis Coalition opposes the potential referendum.
“SB 56 upholds the will of Ohio voters by maintaining a safe and regulated adult cannabis market while closing dangerous loopholes that allowed untested intoxicating hemp products and out-of-state marijuana to cross Ohio’s shelves,” said OHCANN Executive Director David Bowling.
Ohio marijuana customers won’t notice any changes under the new law, said Pete Nischt, vice president of compliance and communications for Klutch Cannabis, which has dispensaries in Northeast Ohio.
“The person entering the legal marijuana market in Ohio will see no difference after the effective date of (SB 56),” he said.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the group behind Issue 2 on the 2023 ballot, also opposes the referendum attempt.
“SB 56 is a sensible improvement on Issue 2,” the coalition said in a statement. “SB 56 honors the will of Ohio voters while protecting public health. The referendum effort is about putting profits from unregulated hemp and gas station weed sales over people.”
Wesley Bryant, owner of 420 Craft Beverage in Cleveland, supports the referendum effort, calling the legislation “an assault on consumer rights.”
“Ohioans are buying these products because they relieve stress, help people sleep at night, provide relief to veterans with PTSD and help some people with addiction,” Bryant said in a statement. “SB 56 is evil and full of unintended consequences, and we will give voters the opportunity to say no to this harmful legislation.”
Joey Ellwood, a Tuscarawas County hemp farmer, called the law a government overreach.
“The people spoke in 2023 when they voted to legalize cannabis, and we’ll let them speak again in November by voting no on SB 56,” Ellwood said in a statement.
Cannabis Choice for Ohioans must collect 6 percent of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election (248,092) to get on the Nov. 3 ballot. The group will also need 3 percent of the participation of the governors of 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Organizers will have 90 days from the date the governor submitted the bill to the secretary of state to collect the necessary signatures.
The last referendum passed in Ohio was in 2011 when voters overturned a law against collective bargaining.
This story was first published by the Ohio Capital Journal.