Blackshear Issues Statement Following Passage of Marijuana Overhaul Bill

Today, state Senator Willis Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate voted to accept conference committee changes to Senate Bill 56, which significantly changes the state’s adult-use cannabis program and directly undermines the will of Ohio voters, who established Ohio’s recreational marijuana industry by passing State Issue 2 in 2023.

“Senate Bill 56 not only undermines the will of the Ohio voters who passed Issue 2 by a wide margin, but changes the law significantly. By imposing stricter THC limits, opening the door for recriminalization, and making expungement more difficult,  this bill is a clear example of legislative overreach and raises significant concerns,” said Blackshear. “Ohioans made their voices clear on this issue in 2023, and I am disappointed that their will is not being reflected by this bill.”

S.B. 56 drastically alters key provisions of the recreational marijuana law passed by voters in 2023 and re-criminalizes conduct voters chose to legalize. The bill will:

• Impose stricter limits on THC by reducing current allowable limits;
• Make it easier to characterize adult-to-adult transfers as illegal trafficking, thus restricting the ability to share cannabis with another adult;
• Give the Division of Cannabis Control the ability to make formerly legal paraphernalia criminal;
• Criminalize the possession and use of out-of-state cannabis, making lawful travelers newly subject to prosecution;
• Expand the authority for landlords to prohibit cannabis consumption and home cultivation;
• Roll back protections against adverse actions in housing, employment, and other areas; and 
• Reduce the number of individuals who may have their records expunged for prior marijuana-possession offenses.

S.B. 56 now heads to the governor for his signature.