Columbus, OH: The state’s Attorney General has rejected a petition that sought to repeal certain provisions of Senate Bill 56, arguing that the proposal’s summary language was misleading.
“Upon review of the summary, we identified omissions and misstatements that, as a whole, would mislead a potential signer as to the scope and effect of SB 56,” the AG determined.
In December, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed SB 56 into law. The law amends and repeals various provisions of Ohio’s voter-approved adult-use legalization law. Among the more significant changes, it criminalizes possessing marijuana products obtained from out-of-state, including products legally purchased at licensed dispensaries in neighboring jurisdictions. It also repeals provisions protecting adult-use consumers from facing either workplace or professional disciplinary action, as well as other forms of discrimination based solely upon their private marijuana use (such as the denial of parental rights or certain hospital procedures, such as organ transplants).
Other provisions in the law impose new criminal sanctions upon those who either possess or transport certain cannabis products if they are not in their original, unopened packaging and restrict the retail sale of hemp-derived products, including beverages, solely to state-licensed dispensaries.
Following the passage of SB 56, business owners and other advocates formed the group Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, which sought to place a referendum on the November ballot asking voters to reject the law. Activists now have the option of revising and resubmitting their petition for reconsideration.
A spokesperson for the groups says that it intends to do so, stating, “Voters this November will have the opportunity to say no to SB 56, no to government overreach, no to closing 6,000 businesses and abandoning thousands of Ohio workers, and no to defying the will of Ohioans who overwhelmingly supported legalizing cannabis in 2023.”
A summary of SB 56’s revisions to Ohio’s adult-use marijuana legalization and hemp laws is available from Ohio State University.