Columbus, OH: The state’s Attorney General has authorized petitioners to begin collecting signatures in favor of a proposed referendum challenging a GOP-backed law recriminalizing certain marijuana-related activities.
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 is pushing back against the new restrictions. The AG’s office rejected a prior petition submitted by the group due to potentially “misleading” language. By contrast, other statewide cannabis interest groups have expressed opposition to the referendum.
Organizers need to collect approximately 250,000 signatures from Ohio voters to place the referendum before voters in November.
A summary of SB 56’s revisions to Ohio’s adult-use marijuana legalization and hemp laws is available from Ohio State University.