Ohio Campaign to Roll Back Cannabis and Hemp Changes Submits New Petition Language After Rejection by AG

The campaign seeking to roll back recently approved cannabis and hemp reforms in Ohio on Tuesday submitted revised petition summary language following the rejection of their initial proposal by Attorney General David Yost, Cleveland.com reports.

Dennis Willard, spokesperson for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, told Cleveland.com that the campaign has “addressed each and every issue raised by [Yost], and… are confident [the] new petition summary language will be approved.”   

“We are determined to give voters the chance to say no to SB 56 in November, no to government overreach, no to shuttering 6,000 small businesses in Ohio, and no to lawmakers who dared to deliver a slap in the face to Ohioans who overwhelmingly voted to make cannabis legal in 2023.” — Ohioans for Cannabis Choice via Cleveland.com 

In his rejection of the petition summary language, Yost said the language included “two descriptions [that] attempt to outline what is excluded under the definition of ‘hemp’ and that those definitions could lead potential petition signers to be “misled as to the character and import” of the definition of hemp. In the letter, Yost also pointed to language in the summary concerning the delivery of adult-use cannabis, noting that the summary “inaccurately states” that the bill signed by the governor permits the delivery of adult use cannabis; the summary inaccurately stated that “felony offenses are disqualifying for cannabis-related licensure,” provisions which DeWine had vetoed, making the statement inaccurate; and that the summary inaccurately stated that the bill targeted by the petition repealed a prohibition of license holders offering gifts, samples, or other free or discounted adult-use marijuana products, which Yost contended “is false.” 

In order to put the issue to voters, the campaign must collect and submit signatures equal to 6% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election, or roughly 250,000 before the bill signed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in December takes effect in mid-March. Those signatures must come from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties.