Opponents of Ohio's hemp-THC ban failed to gather enough signatures this week to block the legislation, which takes effect Friday.
Lobbying group Ohioans for Cannabis Choice on Wednesday afternoon thanked Ohioans who tried to collect enough signatures to put Senate Bill 56 before voters. The group posted a statement on its Facebook page Wednesday that said it was ending its campaign.
“We want to thank the more than 5,000 Ohioans and businesses who volunteered their time and sweat to try to collect the signatures needed to put SB 56 before voters,” the statement said.
Ohio lawmakers in December approved a bill, Senate Bill 56, that included several changes to the state’s marijuana regulations. But Gov. Mike DeWine line-item-vetoed a provision in the bill that would’ve allowed hemp-THC beverages with 5 milligrams of THC or less to be manufactured, sold and distributed in Ohio until the end of 2026. The bill prohibits the sale of all hemp-based products with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC outside of a licensed cannabis dispensary. That language mirrors the pending federal ban on hemp-THC products, which is set to take effect in November.
Ohioans for Cannabis Choice on its Facebook page thanked its supporters, saying the “hurdles are high for a referendum, and we were not able to overcome a truncated time period, but we so appreciate everything you did to help us.”
According to the Ohio attorney general’s office website, Ohioans for Cannabis Choice would have needed signatures obtained from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. The website also states: “from each of the 44 counties, signatures must equal at least 3% of votes cast for governor in that county in previous election.”
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