Ohio AG Approves Referendum Language to Overturn Parts of SB 56 Marijuana and Hemp Law

3 February 2026

Ohio’s newest marijuana and hemp restrictions are headed toward a potential statewide showdown, and the first step is already done.

Attorney General Dave Yost has approved the title and summary language for a referendum petition backed by Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, a group trying to overturn key parts of Senate Bill 56. Yost rejected the campaign’s first attempt, saying it contained omissions and misstatements that could mislead signers. After the group resubmitted language on January 20, Yost said the new version is a fair and truthful description of what the referendum would do.

Yost also added a caution that matters in a close political fight: his approval of the petition language is not a ruling on whether the referendum itself is enforceable or constitutional.

Now the clock is running. The campaign must collect and submit about 250,000 valid signatures from 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties by mid-March. That target is tied to a larger consequence, because reporting indicates the deadline lines up with the date Senate Bill 56 is scheduled to take effect. If the signatures are submitted and accepted in time, the law would not be implemented until voters decide on the referendum in the November 2026 election.

Senate Bill 56 was signed in December and rewrites parts of Ohio’s adult-use marijuana law and its approach to intoxicating hemp products. The bill is described as a response to the growth of hemp-derived THC products sold outside the state’s licensed cannabis system, and Gov. Mike DeWine has said the measure is intended to crack down on that market.

SB 56 would effectively restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp products to state-licensed marijuana dispensaries and set THC thresholds that would disqualify certain items from general retail. Hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, or those containing synthetic cannabinoids, could no longer be sold outside dispensaries.

The law also affects adult-use marijuana rules that Ohio voters approved through Issue 2 in 2023. Depending on the provision, SB 56 is described as limiting home cultivation, banning public smoking, and making it illegal to bring legally purchased marijuana from another state into Ohio. Another description of the law says it would also remove anti-discrimination protections created under the voter-approved framework, including protections tied to things like child custody, organ transplants, and professional licensing.

Public use and housing rules are part of the debate too. The law would restrict smoking at some outdoor public places such as bar patios and would allow landlords to prohibit vaping marijuana at rental homes, with violations treated as a misdemeanor.

Not everyone in the cannabis space is on the same side. Ohioans for Cannabis Choice says it supports age limits, licensing, and testing, but argues that SB 56 goes beyond regulation and undercuts the program voters approved. Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for the group, said the campaign plans to gather signatures statewide and said opponents see the law as a threat to small businesses and jobs.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Cannabis Coalition, a trade association representing licensed dispensaries and cultivators, said it supports SB 56 and opposes the referendum, arguing the referendum drive is backed by intoxicating hemp interests rather than the licensed cannabis businesses that advanced Issue 2 in 2023.

For Ohio residents, the immediate practical question is simple: whether the referendum qualifies. If it does, the state’s new restrictions could be put on hold until November 2026. If it doesn’t, SB 56’s changes would move ahead on the schedule set in the law, and consumers, hemp sellers, landlords, and licensed dispensaries could all feel the shift in different ways.