On Tuesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost approved petition paperwork submitted by Ohioans for Cannabis Choice to allow them to collect signatures in an effort to repeal Ohio's THC law, Senate Bill 56. The group, backed by the intoxicating hemp industry, has until late March to collect 248,092 valid voter signatures. If they succeed, Ohio voters will decide in November whether to repeal SB 56 in a referendum.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed SB 56 into law on Dec. 19, 2025. The law requires intoxicating hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container to be sold in dispensaries. The law mirrors a decision made by Congress in November when voting to end the government shutdown; they narrowed the definition of hemp to limit a total THC concentration of less than 0.3%. The new definition goes into effect on a federal level on Nov. 12, 2026.
In Ohio, lawmakers passed SB 56 with an exception that would have allowed breweries and bars to sell THC-infused beverages with no more than 5 milligrams of THC per container through the end of 2026. DeWine line-item vetoed this provision, meaning that these products can no longer be sold after the law goes into effect in March.
Additionally, SB 56 creates new criminal penalties surrounding the possession of legally purchased marijuana. For example, you can no longer bring legally purchased products from another state into Ohio and marijuana must be transported in the trunk of a car when moving from place-to-place.
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss the implications of SB 56 and what it will take to get a referendum on the ballot in November.
Guests:
- Haley BeMiller, political reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer
- Jana Hrdinova, administrative director, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.
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