COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Senate raced legislation across the finish line on Dec. 9, approving a major overhaul of the voter-approved statute that legalized adult-use cannabis, banning intoxicating hemp products, and authorizing drinkable cannabinoid products for one year.

Senators voted 22–7 along party lines to adopt a House-backed conference committee report on Senate Bill 56 and sent the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine.

Sen. Stephen Huffman, R-Tipp City, who sponsored S.B. 56, told colleagues that the bill would tighten oversight of Ohio’s cannabis industry. After voters passed Issue 2 in November 2023, licensed dispensaries began serving adults 21 and older in August 2024.

“The bill clears up vague language in the ballot initiative,” Huffman said. “It keeps the core of Issue 2 intact whil

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