Senate Bill 56 is a disaster for Ohio's marijuana industry, consumers, and small businesses
On Wednesday, February 26, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 56 – yet another assault on the will of Ohio voters and a direct threat to the success of Ohio’s adult-use marijuana program. Two years ago, voters overwhelmingly approved Issue 2 in 30 of 33 state Senate districts and with 57% of the statewide vote. This was a decisive, nonpartisan message calling for responsible marijuana legalization. But S.B. 56 would reverse that progress.
This is not the first time the Ohio Senate has attempted to legislate adult-use marijuana. Last General Assembly, House Bill 86 was the vehicle for change. Nearly every Senate Democrat, including myself, supported this bipartisan compromise designed to establish a framework for a regulated adult-use market before Issue 2 took effect over a year ago. Unlike that bill, S.B. 56 is a clear attempt to crack down on a market that is already thriving.
One of the main reasons that Democrats were supportive of H.B. 86 was because it created a clear tax structure to fund vital programs like automatic expungement, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, poison control centers, and municipal arts funding. It was about building a system that would work for everyone. In contrast, S.B. 56 seeks to impose strict, ill-conceived regulations and restrictions on a market that is already successfully operating under the voter-approved rules of Issue 2. Rather than fine-tuning the system, this bill is going to completely tear it down!
Even worse, S.B. 56 completely disregards some of the most crucial provisions that Ohio voters overwhelmingly supported in Issue 2! The voters wanted high THC limits, but S.B. 56 lowers them. They voted for the ability to grow 12 plants at home, but S.B. 56 reduces it to six. Voters also wanted reasonable public smoking restrictions, but S.B. 56 bans public smoking outright, ignoring Ohio’s proven and effective public smoking laws. This bill forces you to only legally consume marijuana products in your private residence. S.B. 56 also guts the tax structure that Issue 2 established, taking funds that were meant for social equity, substance abuse treatment, and criminal justice reform and funneling them into the state’s general fund, which means Ohioans can expect more tax cuts and private school vouchers that, in typical Ohio political fashion, will primarily benefit the wealthy.
S.B. 56 is not just harmful to consumers—it also harms marijuana producers. The bill will limit the number of dispensaries to just 350 statewide, even though we’re already near that limit. This will stifle competition and lock out communities that want access to legal marijuana. It reduces the area available for cultivation, despite Ohio’s current supply shortage. It also eliminates Level 3 "craft grower" licenses, which were intended to give those harmed by marijuana criminalization the opportunity to enter the market and serve their communities. These craft growers would have added diversity and choice to Ohio’s marijuana industry, but S.B. 56 eliminates that possibility.
Issue 2 was a broad, bipartisan effort supported by urban, suburban, and rural Ohioans. S.B. 56, however, strays so far from the voters’ intent that it raises the question: who is this bill really for? Is it for the large, out-of-state corporations that control most of Ohio’s marijuana industry while sidelining local businesses and consumers? Or is it for the governor and the legislative leaders who have made it clear that they hate marijuana and have no issues ignoring the will of the people to get rid of it? One thing is for sure: It’s not for the majority of Ohioans.
Now that S.B. 56 has passed out of the Senate, the House must make a choice. Will they stand with the voters who overwhelmingly supported marijuana legalization, or will they abandon the people and allow this harmful bill to move forward?
S.B. 56 is a disaster for Ohio’s marijuana industry, consumers, and small businesses. It’s time to reject it and honor the will of the people.Bottom of Form