Ohio House Passes Cannabis and Hemp Reform Legislation

COLUMBUS - Yesterday, following successful votes in both the House Judiciary and Finance Committees, the Ohio House voted to pass Substitute Senate Bill 56 (S. Huffman), announced State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord). Senate Bill 56, initially passed by the Ohio Senate in February, combines efforts to clarify Ohio's adult use cannabis program and address the issues arising from intoxicating hemp products. The compromise language passed by the House comes after nearly 18 months of negotiations between legislators, industry groups, and advocates.

Intoxicating hemp products became legal following the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill, rescheduling hemp and allowing for its cultivation under the supervision of the US Department of Agriculture. The language was intended to allow for commercial cultivation and provide access to crop insurance programs while only allowing for plants with low levels of delta-9 THC. However, a loophole in the bill legalized several psychoactive cannabinoids such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC, allowing it to be sold without any restrictions to any age group.

Senate Bill 56 closes this loophole by restricting the sale of intoxicating hemp products to licensed dispensaries, requiring age verification before sale, and applying the same testing, marketing, and labeling requirements as adult use cannabis. Additionally, it creates a tiered system for hemp beverages, allowing for class A-1-A (tap houses) and D (bars and restraints) liquor permit holders to sell intoxicating hemp beverages of up to 5mg for on premise consumption while permitting class C (liquor stores) liquor permit holders to sell beverages of up to 10mg for off premises consumption. Additionally, all hemp products are restricted to individuals 21 and older.

In addition to the intoxicating hemp restrictions, Senate Bill 56 includes provisions related to Ohio's adult use, home grow, and medical cannabis regulations. With Issue 2 passing with a margin of 57% in 2023, Ohio added home grown and adult use cannabis to the existing medical marijuana regulatory framework established in 2016 with House Bill 523 (S. Huffman, 131st General Assembly). As of October 11, 2025, Ohio has solid $871 million worth of adult use cannabis since legal sales began in August 2024, according to the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control.

Some of these provisions include language to allow for medical cannabis patients to have their prescriptions delivered to their home, protections for private residential and agricultural property owners who allow the combustion of cannabis on their property, and to clarify where Ohioans can home grow cannabis. It also puts into statute protections for Ohioans to be able to share home grow and adult use cannabis on private property.

While earlier versions of the legislation reduced, eliminated, or sunset the Host Community Fund, Senate Bill 56 maintains the 36% of the cannabis tax that goes towards communities who choose to host a dispensary.

Critically, Senate Bill 56 includes no new criminal penalties for Ohioans who engage with one of the three legal cannabis options.

"I want to thank the tens of thousands of Ohioans who reached out to their legislators or took the time to come to Columbus and provide testimony as the legislative process played out," said Callender. "While not a perfect bill, Senate Bill 56 enshrines important legislative victories for adult use users and takes the first steps in creating a regulatory framework around intoxicating hemp."

Senate Bill 56 now awaits a concurrence vote by the Ohio Senate.