COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Gov. Mike DeWine signed sweeping marijuana and hemp regulations into law last week, opponents are launching a campaign to stop the measure by putting it to statewide vote. But it will be no easy feat.

The coalition Ohioans for Cannabis Choice announced plans Friday to pursue a citizen referendum challenging Senate Bill 56, which DeWine signed into law that same day.

The law includes sweeping regulations on intoxicating hemp products—including hemp beverages—and adjusts Ohio’s recreational marijuana laws.

It will take effect in 90 days—the same deadline petitioners have to submit roughly a quarter of a million signatures from across the state to place a referendum on the ballot.

The Ohio Constitution grants Ohioans the ability to overturn a law passed by the General Assembly through a citizen-led referendum. This applies to most laws, though emergency measures, tax levies, and appropriations are exempt.

To begin the process, Ohioans for Cannabis Choice must first file at least 1,000 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who will verify and certify the petition. The group can then begin gathering signatures to qualify for the ballot—equal to 6% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election, or roughly 250,000 signatures. Those signatures must come from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

“SB 56 forcefully defies the will of the voters of Ohio, who spoke clearly on this issue, and denies the people of Ohio the freedom to use these products for their personal use,” said Dennis Willard, spokesperson for the coalition, in a text message.

Willard’s statement refers to Issue 2, a citizen-led campaign that legalized recreational marijuana in 2023.

Within days of its passage, DeWine began calling for lawmakers to approve new restrictions on THC products. In particular, the governor has expressed concern over hemp-derived THC products such as gummies that mimic candy marketed to children.

After years of legislative back-and-forth, DeWine signed SB 56 into law last week.

As passed by the General Assembly, SB 56 would have effectively outlawed non-drink intoxicating hemp products when it takes effect in 90 days. A grace period would have allowed hemp beverages infused with up to 5 milligrams of THC to continue to be sold until the end of next year.

But DeWine vetoed that grace period on drinks, meaning THC-infused beverages will also be banned beginning in March.

Related: DeWine vetoes grace period for hemp THC drinks, making them illegal in March

Other hemp regulations in SB 56 remained untouched by DeWine’s veto pen. Those mirror changes passed by Congress last month by prohibiting sales of all hemp-based items with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC –short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive drug in cannabis – per container, as well as those containing synthetic cannabinoids, outside of a licensed marijuana dispensary.

In addition to the hemp measures, SB 56 would make some significant changes to Ohio’s recreational marijuana law, passed by voters in 2023.

This includes prohibiting people from bringing marijuana into Ohio from other states, allowing landlords to ban marijuana smoking, vaping, or growing on their property, forbidding people in Ohio from growing, cultivating or possession homegrown marijuana on behalf of another person, and more.

“We are launching a referendum campaign to go directly to the voters. We believe voters will say no to government overreach, no to closing 6,000 small businesses and pink-slipping thousands of workers across the state, and no to once again recriminalizing hemp and marijuana,” said Willard.

The governor also issued a second veto related to marijuana that would have disqualified those with felonies from working in the marijuana industry. In his veto message, DeWine said the Division of Cannabis Control already has rules in place that prevent people with felony drug offenses, felony theft offenses, and other crimes indicating a person is not fit to work within a highly regulated industry from obtaining employment in cannabis businesses.

The governor explained that he was concerned that the language may be overly broad and cause workers who have worked in the marijuana industry for years to lose their jobs.

If the referendum is approved, SB 56 will not take effect until a statewide vote on the legislation can be held. The referendum would appear on the next general election ballot, with a majority vote needed to block the law.