A coalition of marijuana industry members and advocates has taken the first formal step toward placing a referendum on the 2026 ballot that would block large portions of Ohio’s newly enacted cannabis and hemp law from taking effect.
The campaign, operating as Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, announced that it submitted its initial referendum petition Monday challenging Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Senate Bill 56, the sweeping measure signed into law earlier this month by Governor Mike DeWine. Those sections contain the core changes governing intoxicating hemp products and significant revisions to Ohio’s adult-use marijuana framework.
Under Ohio’s Constitution, voters have the power to overturn laws passed by the General Assembly through a citizen-led referendum. To begin the process, organizers must submit an initial petition signed by at least 1,000 registered Ohio voters to both the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. That filing includes a proposed title, a summary of the challenged provisions, and the text of the law itself. The coalition said that threshold has now been met.
If state officials certify the petition, the campaign will be authorized to begin full signature gathering. Organizers would then face a narrow window to collect signatures equal to 6% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election, roughly 250,000 statewide. Those signatures must also come from at least half of Ohio’s counties, adding another layer of difficulty to the effort. The deadline falls before the law is scheduled to take effect in mid-March.
If the referendum qualifies, the challenged sections of SB 56 would be paused until a statewide vote can be held. A simple majority vote against the law would repeal those provisions and leave existing marijuana and hemp regulations in place.
The coalition argues the legislation goes well beyond regulatory cleanup and instead rewrites key elements of the adult-use marijuana system voters approved in 2023. SB 56 places strict limits on intoxicating hemp products, including hemp-derived beverages, and alters licensing, enforcement, and possession rules within Ohio’s marijuana program.
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