Ohio House passes bill to regulate adult-use marijuana, intoxicating hemp and certain beverages

Columbus — The Ohio House on Oct. 21, 2025, approved Substitute Senate Bill 56, a comprehensive package to regulate adult-use marijuana, intoxicating hemp products and certain drinkable cannabinoid products. The bill, which sponsors described as a bipartisan compromise, passed by recorded vote, 87-8.

Substitute Senate Bill 56 largely preserves core elements of the voter-approved Issue 2 initiated statute, sponsors said, including home cultivation for adults and regulated licensed dispensaries for adult-use marijuana. Representative Adam Stewart, a chief sponsor on the House side, said on the floor that “virtually everything that Ohioans can do today under the initiated statute will be just as legal after the passage of this bill.”

Key provisions described on the floor include:

- Preservation of home-grow rights (12 plants) and regulated adult-use dispensaries; the bill retains a host-community fund and a revenue allocation mechanism for local governments.

- A 36% host-community fund for communities that host marijuana dispensaries, restored in later drafts so local governments receive tax receipts from sales in their communities, sponsors said.

- A regulatory framework for intoxicating hemp products and a limited number of hemp dispensaries; the bill bans sale of intoxicating hemp widely in general retail (for example, in grocery stores and gas stations) and restricts packaging and advertising that would appeal to children.

- Authorization of on-premises consumption for low-dose THC beverages, capped at 5 milligrams per serving for on-site sales; higher-dose beverages may be produced for out-of-state sale under the bill’s compromise terms.

- Criminal-justice provisions, including expanded expungement or sealing pathways for certain past marijuana convictions, and harmonized penalties for selling intoxicating products to minors (sponsors said changes align misdemeanor penalties more closely with alcohol statutes).

Floor debate was extensive and bipartisan. Representative Stewart credited colleagues across the aisle for making the bill workable; Representative Fisher, who led hemp stakeholder negotiations, described the final product as a compromise that “strikes the appropriate tone of a reasonable, fair, and pro-business regulatory regime.” Representative Isaacson highlighted the bill’s expungement provisions, saying they reduce barriers to housing and employment for people with eligible prior offenses.

Opponents urged changes or said the bill did not go far enough in some areas. Representative Gross warned the measure could harm small hemp retailers established after the 2019 federal farm bill, citing concerns about licensing costs and fees; she noted registration fees could be burdensome for small operators. Representative Gambari urged adding provisions addressing underage possession and use of intoxicating hemp to achieve parity with alcohol statutes. Representative Tims criticized barriers to small cultivators and said the bill should do more to broaden economic access for communities harmed by past enforcement.

Outcome and implementation: The House recorded 87 affirmative votes and 8 negative votes; the bill was declared passed and titled. Sponsors and committee chairs said regulatory details will be set by licensing rules and implementation by state agencies, and that additional follow-up legislation is possible as the new programs mature.

Ending note: Lawmakers described the measure as a bipartisan effort to implement voter-approved policy while adding consumer protections, local funding mechanisms and expungement pathways; critics argued the bill favors larger operators and asked for stronger safeguards for children and for more equitable licensing schemes.