If Signed, SB56 “Marijuana Cleanup” enacts major changes to Ohio’s cannabis laws

Ohio’s marijuana “cleanup” legislation is Senate Bill 56, not House Bill 56, and it makes broad changes to adult‑use, hemp, paraphernalia, and home‑grow rules; many details are still in flux because advocates and some lawmakers are pushing for changes before final enactment. The points below reflect what SB 56, as analyzed in official and advocacy summaries, is written to do, not what courts or regulators might eventually allow. IF signed by Governor DeWine, the following items are enacted.​

Things that become illegal or more restricted

• Smoking, combusting, or vaporizing marijuana (including adult‑use, homegrown, and intoxicating hemp) in public places becomes prohibited as a minor misdemeanor; use is restricted largely to private residential or agricultural property.​

• Smoking, combusting, or vaporizing marijuana or intoxicating hemp in vehicles, streetcars, watercraft, or aircraft carries enhanced penalties compared with current law.​

• Smoking or vaping marijuana in rental housing can be banned by lease, and violating a lease that prohibits marijuana smoking, combustion, or vaporization can be an offense under the bill’s public‑use rules.​

• Transporting marijuana products or paraphernalia outside the “original, unopened packaging” or not stored in the trunk or a similar inaccessible area of a vehicle becomes an offense; opened products accessible to the driver or passengers can trigger a minor misdemeanor.​

• Possession and sale of cannabis paraphernalia (rolling papers, blunt wraps, pipes, water pipes, dab tools, jars, etc.) are no longer broadly allowed for adults 21+; instead, only items specifically authorized by regulators are legal, and sale is largely limited to licensed marijuana businesses.​

• Non‑approved smoke shops and convenience stores would be barred from selling most “smoke shop” accessories intended for cannabis use (water pipes, dab tools, rolling papers marketed for cannabis, etc.); selling these outside the regulated channel becomes unlawful.​

• Transferring adult‑use or homegrown marijuana by an unlicensed person, with or without payment (including gifting), is prohibited; only licensed entities may legally transfer cannabis.​

• Cultivating, growing, or possessing homegrown marijuana on behalf of another person is prohibited, closing the door to “caregiver”‑style grow setups outside the licensed system.​

• Cultivating homegrown marijuana at certain locations (childcare homes, recovery houses, halfway houses, and similar protected settings) becomes illegal.​

• Growing more than six plants in a household becomes a more serious offense than under the voter‑approved framework; penalties for more than six plants are increased, especially above the former 12‑plant ceiling.​

• Many intoxicating hemp products (high‑THC delta‑8, THCA flower converted to high‑THC, etc.) face new prohibitions outside the regulated marijuana or limited hemp retail channels, with penalties for unlicensed sales.​

• Some high‑potency cannabis products become effectively illegal to sell: THC in concentrates/extracts is capped at about 70% instead of the 90% range allowed by Issue 2, and plant material is limited to around 35% THC.​

What happens to blunt papers, rolling papers, pipes, etc.

• Issue 2 allowed adults 21+ to possess, make, and sell paraphernalia like rolling papers, pipes, bongs, jars, and other accessories; SB 56 repeals this broad protection.​

• Regulators are directed to define which paraphernalia is permitted for medical, adult‑use, and homegrown cannabis, and paraphernalia outside that approved list becomes illegal to sell or possess for marijuana use.​

• The bill appears to confine legal paraphernalia sales mainly to licensed dispensaries and other regulated marijuana licensees, shutting down general‑retail sale of “weed gear” such as water pipes, dab tools, and many rolling products marketed for cannabis.​

• Because Ohio’s general drug‑paraphernalia statute already criminalizes possession or distribution of items intended for drug use, the repeal of Issue 2’s paraphernalia protections means that common items like pipes, papers, and certain containers can again be treated as illegal “drug paraphernalia” if linked to cannabis.​

Changes to home cultivation and possession rules

• Home grow remains legal but is tightened: the bill reduces or clarifies home‑grow limits to six plants per residence (some summaries say six per person or 12 per household, but the bill analysis emphasizes a six‑plant household cap), which is a reduction from the 12‑plant household limit approved by voters.​

• Homegrown cannabis cannot be cultivated at childcare homes, recovery residences, halfway houses, or other specified facilities, even if the resident is otherwise eligible to grow.​

• Homegrown cannabis must be for personal use only; growing for others is prohibited, and any transfer of homegrown cannabis by an unlicensed person is banned, including gifting.​

• Seeds, live plants, and clones that are being grown in compliance with the home‑grow provisions are excluded from possession‑weight limits, but exceeding plant limits or possessing processed product beyond legal possession amounts can still trigger offenses.​

Other key legal changes in SB 56

• Adult‑use and medical programs are merged under a single regulatory framework, consolidating oversight in the Division of Cannabis Control.​

• The voter‑approved cannabis social equity and jobs fund and some related programs are eliminated, with excise tax revenue redirected to other state funds and “host community” distributions.​

• THC limits are reduced: plant products are capped around 35% THC, and concentrates/extracts are capped around 70%, with regulators barred from approving new forms beyond those listed in statute.​

• Transportation rules are tightened so that both cannabis and paraphernalia must be stored in specific parts of a vehicle and often in original packaging when not in use; violations carry minor‑misdemeanor penalties but can still be used as probable‑cause hooks in traffic stops.​

Because SB 56 and related changes have been heavily contested, it is important to check the most recent enrolled bill text and any amendments before assuming any particular conduct is legal, and to consult a licensed Ohio attorney for case‑specific legal advice.​