Marijuana, hemp advocates want to repeal new law that puts restrictions on products

An Ohio group of marijuana and hemp supporters submitted their initial petition signatures on Monday to overturn a recent law that makes it harder for Ohioans to buy and consume the products.

In an email, a spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, a political action committee, said the group sent a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to the offices of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Ideastream Public Media reported.

If the petition is certified, it could postpone the effective date of Senate Bill 56 from March 2026.

“In filing our petitions today, we are taking a stand for Ohioans against politicians in Columbus and saying no to the government overreach of SB 56,” 420 Craft Beverages owner Wesley Bryant said in an email statement that the news source obtained. “We’re saying no to SB 56 because it re-criminalizes the (cannabis) industry.”

Joey Ellwood, a Tuscarawas County hemp farmer, was another member of the group who said that the bill “goes too far, and has so many unintended consequences,” Signal Ohio reported.

“Ohioans oppose re-criminalizing cannabis, for example, making it a crime to grow more than six plants, a crime to have unauthorized paraphernalia, and a crime to buy marijuana in Michigan and bring it home,” he said in a statement that Ohioans for Cannabis Choice issued, according to Signal Ohio. “And this is just the start. Politicians in Columbus won’t stop until marijuana and hemp are completely illegal in Ohio again.”

LaRose and Yost each have 10 days to decide whether to certify the submission from Ohioans for Cannabis Choice. Ideastream reported that LaRose’s spokesperson confirmed his office had received the signatures on Monday.

The bill that Gov. Mike DeWine signed on Dec. 19 would make all “intoxicating” hemp — including THC and CBD beverages — illegal to sell or have in Ohio.

The final version of the bill banned most intoxicating hemp, while giving the drinks more leeway. DeWine used his line-item veto to strike the measure that granted leeway to beverages, saying it would only cause more confusion.

The bill would make it a state crime to store edibles outside their original packaging or to possess any product legally purchased in another state.

After DeWine signed the bill, Ohioans for Cannabis Choice announced the launch of the referendum campaign.

“We believe voters will say no to government overreach, no to closing 6,000 small businesses and pink-slipping thousands of workers across the state, and no to once again re-criminalizing hemp and marijuana,” the organization’s spokesperson, Dennis Willard, said.