COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio activists are cleared to start collecting signatures to repeal a state law that added more criminal penalties to marijuana usage and totally banned "intoxicating" hemp products.
After originally rejecting the petition for some factual errors and mistakes, Attorney General Dave Yost has certified the latest draft of a proposed referendum petition on Senate Bill 56. This allows THC supporters to begin their effort of collecting the nearly 250,000 signatures needed to put the question to the voters.
RELATED: Ohio AG Dave Yost rejects referendum petition to repeal ban on hemp, restrictions on marijuana
"Full steam ahead. We're going to be hitting the streets, collecting signatures all across Ohio because people are angry and want to sign on the line to vote no on SB 56 to stop government overreach, no to closing 6,000 small businesses and killing thousands of jobs, and no to denying consumers the right to purchase products they want," Dennis Willard, spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, said.
RELATED: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill banning all 'intoxicating hemp,' including THC-infused drinks
In November of 2023, 57% of Ohioans voted yes on Issue 2: the legalization of recreational cannabis.
I have been covering marijuana policy extensively for years, including a series answering viewer questions about cannabis.
"That is absolutely against the will of the people who said that we think cannabis should be legal in Ohio," Willard said about S.B. 56.
The legislation institutes a public smoking ban and prohibits smoking in cars. Also, it gives landlords the ability to prohibit smoking and vaping, bans outdoor venues from allowing marijuana and requires all products to be kept in the same package they were bought in.
It also makes it a crime to have an "open" marijuana container, meaning if someone has a baggie of edibles in the backseat of a Lyft or on a public bus — if it had ever been opened, they would be breaking the law.
RELATED: Did Ohio's THC reform just create a bunch of new crimes?
It also makes it a crime to buy out-of-state cannabis. Federal law currently doesn't allow marijuana to go across state lines, but it isn't enforced. This would be an enforceable state provision preventing a citizen from going to Michigan, where the weed is cheaper, to buy.
The legislation also removes protections against discrimination for housing, employment and even organ donation.
As well, Democrats argue that a provision would allow for police to have probable cause during traffic stops if someone is a "known consumer" of marijuana.
On the hemp side, all "intoxicating" products would be banned — including THC-infused drinks.
RELATED: Ohio's new THC ban could 'wipe out an entire industry,' brewery says
Have questions? Let me know, and I'll answer them.
I have continued to cover any and all changes to marijuana policy that lawmakers are trying to make.
I also have a series answering your questions about cannabis in Ohio. Please email me written questions — or a video of you asking a question — to be featured in our next edition. Send questions to Morgan.Trau@wews.com with the subject line "THC questions."
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
