Ohio Attorney General Rejects Cannabis Referendum Petition, Saying It’s ‘Misleading’

January 14, 2026

Ohio cannabis referendum hits a pothole the size of a rust-belt moon crater. Attorney General Dave Yost took one look at activists’ ballot summary and stamped it “misleading,” sending it back across High Street like an undercooked burger. The campaign—Ohioans for Cannabis Choice—wants voters to decide whether to gut core parts of S.B. 56, the legislature’s late-game effort to clamp down on intoxicating hemp and roll back slices of the voter-approved marijuana law. They kicked off with the required 1,000 signatures, the political equivalent of that first stiff drink before the main course. But the state’s top cop says the recipe is off. The fight now is more than paperwork. It’s whether Ohio’s marijuana policy reform moves forward as voters intended—or gets slow-cooked into something unrecognizable by committees and commas.

What S.B. 56 really does

Strip away the talking points and the bill’s bones are obvious. S.B. 56 doesn’t just rein in hemp THC products; it redraws the whole map. Think of it as a multi-course menu where every dish is seasoned to favor the licensed market—and punish anyone dining elsewhere. Among the big-ticket changes that advocates want voters to reconsider:

Recriminalization creep: Some marijuana activity that voters legalized in 2023 gets put back on the wrong side of the line.
Rights rolled back: Statutory anti-discrimination protections for lawful cannabis use—covering child custody, organ transplants, and professional licensing—would be pulled.
Public use squeeze: Smoking at outdoor public spots—say, a bar patio—gets banned. Landlords can prohibit vaping at rental homes. Violations can rise to misdemeanors, even for a puff in your own backyard.
Cross-border trap: Possessing marijuana purchased from a legal retailer outside Ohio—like Michigan—could still mean charges unless it’s from an Ohio dispensary or your own legal homegrow.
Hemp boxed into dispensaries: Intoxicating hemp products can’t be sold outside licensed cannabis shops. Anything with more than 0.4 mg total THC per container, or that includes synthetics, is out. A temporary reprieve for hemp beverages? Vetoed. Ohio’s timeline may even beat the federal one-year window to a clampdown.

If some of this feels familiar, that’s because it’s the latest round in a national turf war over hemp THC products and who gets to profit. Strange bedfellows have chipped in before. For a taste of the politics behind it, see Joe Rogan Surprised After GOP Senator Says Marijuana And Alcohol Industries Jointly Backed Push To Ban Hemp THC Products.

The attorney general’s beef with the ballot text

Yost didn’t just wave the petition off; he itemized the problems like a chef calling out spoiled ingredients. In his letter, he flagged omissions and misstatements that he says would mislead signers on S.B. 56’s scope. Key examples he cited:

Definition double-dip: The summary included two similar hemp definitions, muddying a core term.
Delivery claims: It says the Division of Cannabis Control can authorize adult-use delivery. The bill doesn’t do that.
Felony disqualifiers: The summary suggests felonies are automatically disqualifying for cannabis licenses, but the governor vetoed that language.
Gifts and samples: It claims S.B. 56 repeals a ban on freebies. Instead, the bill directs regulators to set standards that prohibit inducements and kickbacks, which is not the same thing.
Local control and taxes: The text implies expanded local powers to override state cannabis rules and levy new local excise taxes. Yost says the bill doesn’t do that.

If you want the state’s version straight from the source, the AG’s office posted its rejection notice and letter. The message between the lines: fix the summary, and we’ll talk—maybe.

Ballot math, ticking clocks

The referendum’s road is steep and narrow. After revising the language and resubmitting with another starter tranche of 1,000 signatures, organizers must gather roughly 250,000 valid signatures to make the ballot. Hit the deadline—which lands the same day S.B. 56 is set to take effect—and the law gets put on ice until voters have their say. The campaign isn’t blinking. As spokesperson Dennis Willard told reporters, they’ll correct the language and keep moving; he framed the issue as a “no” to overreach, a “no” to closing thousands of hemp businesses, and a “no” to ignoring the will of 2023 voters who approved legalization. For flavor, read the coverage from Cleveland.com here.

Meanwhile, the broader market hums. Regulators proposed new packaging and labeling rules. Ohio dispensaries did north of a billion dollars in legal cannabis revenue in 2025. Purchase limits increased in June to accommodate both medical patients and adult consumers. And Governor Mike DeWine wants marijuana tax revenue redirected to police training, local jails, and behavioral health—stirring fresh debate over cannabis taxation and whether lawmakers can reallocate what voters earmarked. If the fear of backsliding feels familiar, it should. See Legal Marijuana Access Faces An Existential Threat In 2026, And We Must Fight Back (Op-Ed) for a wider-angle view on how quickly gains can be undone, and note that just next door, reform currents are shifting: 3 In 5 Indiana Residents Support Marijuana Legalization, New Poll Finds As State Lawmakers File Reform Bills.

What this really says about Ohio

This isn’t just a fight over statute numbers and semicolons. It’s about who gets to write the rules of a growing Midwest cannabis market—voters in a booth, or politicians at 2 a.m. in committee. Ohio has become the test kitchen where hemp and marijuana interests jostle for shelf space, while cops, courts, and landlords get new say over how people use a plant that most of the region increasingly accepts. The cross-border snag sums up the absurdity: you can legally buy cannabis in Michigan, but in parts of Ohio, possessing that same product could still make you a criminal. Public opinion keeps moving, and not just stateside. North of the border, support for legalization remains sturdy and rising, a reminder that cultural tides tend to carry policy with them—see Canadian Support For Marijuana Legalization Is Increasing, New Poll Shows.

The moral here is simple: read the fine print, watch the deadlines, and show up when it’s time to vote. Policy is made by the people who stay late and count the signatures. If you want a cleaner, saner cannabis landscape—one that respects voters, protects consumers, and keeps businesses alive—you’ll need to keep both eyes open and your pen ready. When you’re ready to explore top-shelf THCA products curated with that same no-nonsense attention to detail, visit our shop.