The House Judiciary Committee in Ohio has scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday, June 4 on Senate Bill 56, a proposal to roll-back portions of the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization law.
The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on June 4 in Room 313 of the State House, with SB 56 listed second on the committee agenda.
The legislation has been replaced with a substitute version that aligns more closely with House Bill 160, which shares many of the same provisions. HB 160 sponsor State Representative Brian Stewart (R) said the new version helps move the process toward “a single vehicle,” while acknowledging further amendments may still be added.
Although the original proposals—such as eliminating home grow, slashing possession limits, and even banning smoking in private backyards—have largely been removed, serious issues remain in the revised SB 56.
The revised version of SB 56 includes several controversial provisions that advocates say would severely roll back key parts of Ohio’s voter-approved marijuana law. It would re-criminalize marijuana obtained from anywhere other than state-licensed retailers or a person’s own home grow. Sharing more than 20 grams of homegrown marijuana would be considered a felony, and even limited sharing would only be allowed at the grower’s own primary residence.
The bill also creates a new open container law, making it illegal to have opened cannabis products—excluding raw flower—in the passenger area of a vehicle. Smoking or vaping marijuana would be restricted to private homes or agricultural property where the owner consents, with the only exception being outdoor music venues that explicitly allow it. In addition, the measure would eliminate level 3 small grower licenses, block the issuance of new cultivation and retail licenses, and cap the total number of dispensaries at 400.
SB 56 would also dismantle the cannabis social equity and jobs program, ending funding for expungement efforts and removing support for communities most impacted by past marijuana enforcement.
