Recently, Ohio House lawmakers announced that they are in support of a substitute version of Senate Bill 56, which will make adjustments to the Buckeye State’s adult-use cannabis legalization legislation that was approved by voters (1). The bill, spearheaded by Republicans, redresses the state’s current law. NORML reports that the new bill “stipulates that consumers cannot legally possess cannabis products sourced from out of state, including products legally purchased at licensed dispensaries in neighboring jurisdictions. No other legalization state imposes such restrictions,” (1). Additionally, the piece of legislation will repeal provisions that involve scaling back the protections of adult-use consumers from experiencing workplace professional disciplinary action, along with any other types of discrimination that could be experienced from utilizing cannabis for recreational purposes.

“It restricts consumers who home-cultivate cannabis from harvesting more than 2.5 ounces of total flower, and it imposes felony penalties for those who grow more than six plants at one time. It imposes new arbitrary limits on the percentages of THC permitted in adult-use and medical cannabis products and it caps the total number of retail licenses permitted statewide,” NORML reported (1). “Other provisions in the legislation create an expedited pathway for those seeking to expunge past marijuana-related convictions, regulate the sale of certain hemp-derived products, and redirect a portion of tax revenues from marijuana sales to individual municipalities that license cannabis retailers.”

“This a huge step toward legalization in Ohio,” said Lake County GOP Rep. Jamie Callender (2)

Ohio’s adult-use cannabis legislation has been lobbied against by NORML previously in the past. The law was approved by around 57% of voters in 2023. NORML has shared an action alert regarding the bill more than 18,000 times and expresses that (1), “This bill is a slap in the face to the millions of Ohioans who voted in favor of Issue 2. Once again, politicians are arrogantly trying to claim that the public didn’t know what they were voting for.”

“Lawmakers had years to craft legislation regulating Ohio’s adult-use marijuana market. They chose not to do so, instead leaving the decision up to the electorate. Legislators do not have the right to play Monday morning quarterback now simply because most Ohioans voted in a way they disapprove of,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano and Political Director Morgan Fox, published in The Columbus Dispatch, commented (1).

Next steps for SB 56 will be for the bill to head back to the Senate, where it was previously encouraged to include more changes and proposals to it. If the amended legislation does not pass by Senators in the House, SB 56 will be moved to a conference committee where it will undergo additional debate and commentary.

“NORML is asking all Ohioans who care about personal freedom and the rights of voters to urge the legislature to reject SB 56 in its current form,” said Fox (1). “This isn’t what Ohioans voted for, and the fact that this bill is being rushed through the legislature, with almost no opportunity for public comment, indicates that lawmakers know they are undermining the will of the voters. Regardless of where one stands on cannabis issues, everyone should be outraged at this.”

The temporary ban on the sale of intoxicating hemp products in the state of Ohio begins on October 14, 2025, at 12:01am, as stated in the recently signed executive order (3). The order was signed by Governor Mike DeWine on October 8, a press release explained, declaring an Adulterated Consumer Product Emergency due to the risks posed to public health and safety (4).

As noted in the press release, according to the Ohio Poison Control (3):

• From 2021 to 2024, exposures to delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC increased from 419 to 994 in individuals 19 years old and younger
• More than half of the exposures were in children five years old and younger
• Exposures in children up to age five were 202 in 2021 and 555 in 2024
• 90% of exposures involving children 12 and under resulted in a trip to the emergency room
• About two thirds of those exposures resulted in hospitalization

“Intoxicating hemp products are known to have significant impacts on young, developing brains, yet these products are legally marketed to kids, sold to kids, and ingested by kids in Ohio,” stated Governor DeWine in the press release (3). “When voters chose to legalize marijuana, they voted for a highly regulated market that only allows sales at licensed dispensaries to those 21 and older. Intoxicating hemp completely bypasses these laws, and we must do more to keep these products away from kids.”

References

1. Norml. Ohio House approves repealing key provisions of voter-approved marijuana legalization https://norml.org/news/2025/10/23/ohio-house-lawmakers-approve-legislation-repealing-key-provisions-of-voter-approved-marijuana-legalization-law/ (accessed Oct 28, 2025).
2. Zuckerman, J. Ohio House passes bill to tax hemp, bans public marijuana use https://signalohio.org/ohio-house-passes-bill-to-legalize-and-tax-intoxicating-hemp-prohibit-marijuana-use-in-public-places/ (accessed Oct 28, 2025).
3. McEvoy, E. Ohio enacts temporary ban on intoxicating hemp products to protect public health https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/ohio-enacts-temporary-ban-on-intoxicating-hemp-products-to-protect-public-health (accessed Oct 28, 2025).
4. Mike DeWine. Governor DeWine Declares Consumer Product Emergency for Intoxicating Hemp. October 8, 2025. https://governor.ohio.gov/media/news-and-media/governor-dewine-declares-consumer-product-emergency-for-intoxicating-hemp (accessed October 13, 2025).