Republicans Undermine Ohio Voters, Blocking a Citizen-led Ballot Measure to Roll Back Harmful SB 56 Provisions

COLUMBUS - Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) today released the following statement after Attorney General Dave Yost rejected the summary for a proposed referendum to allow voters to roll back harmful provisions of Senate Bill (SB) 56:

"Republicans know Ohioans are ready to hold them accountable for rewriting Issue 2, so instead of letting voters decide, they delay and distract to try and prevent the referendum altogether. We've seen this playbook before-misdirection, misinformation, and fearmongering meant to protect Republican state leaders from voter accountability. Ohioans are tired of politicians manipulating the process to cling to power, and they deserve a system that respects their votes, not one that works overtime to silence them," said Leader Isaacsohn.

At the end of last year, House and Senate Republicans cut a deal to override the will of the 57% of Ohioans who voted to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2023. Senate Bill 56 rolled back key voter-approved protections by adding new criminal penalties, stripping anti-discrimination protections related to cannabis use, and further limiting expungement opportunities.

SB 56 was signed by the governor on December 19, 2025, alongside two line-item vetoes regarding drinkable hemp products and background checks for cannabis industry workers. The Ohio constitution creates the citizen's veto through a referendum and approximately 250K signatures must be collected by 90-days after the bill was signed. The petition rejected today was the first procedural step in that process.