Case Explained:This article breaks down the legal background, charges, and implications of Case Explained: Ohio activists approved to start collecting signatures to repeal hemp ban, marijuana restrictions • Ohio Capital Journal – Legal Perspective
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 Ohio Senate Bill 56. This allows THC supporters to begin collecting the nearly 250,000 signatures needed to put the question to the voters.
“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 S.B. 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,” said Dennis Willard, spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice.
In November 2023, 57% of Ohioans voted yes on Issue 2, which legalized recreational 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, they would be breaking the law if it had ever been opened.
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.
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.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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