Cannabis farmers talk about plants. (Photo: Joey Ellwood, WEWS.)
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio — A group of Ohio farmers has joined the fight to repeal legislation that would completely ban “intoxicating” hemp products.
From sunrise to sunset, the Ellwood family earns a living on their fields.
“We have 19 acres,” said Joey Elwood, owner of Modern Remedies. “I have always tried to think outside of conventional strategy.”
He doesn’t grow the usual Ohio crops – soybeans, corn or wheat. He grows hemp, part of the cannabis family.
According to federal data, there are fewer than 20 lively hemp producers in Ohio.
Ohio farmers have already had a challenging few years.
Droughts are plaguing rural areas, severe cases of bird flu have broken out in 2025, and tariffs have caused huge financial struggles for soybean farmers.
“We see light at the end of the tunnel,” he said of his ability to make money growing hemp. “To be honest, we intend to do very well before the December ban.”
His farm in Tuscarawas County, where he also helps produce hemp-infused beverages and tinctures, could be uprooted under soon-to-be-enacted regulations.
Ohio Senate Bill 56, signed into law in December, makes sweeping changes to marijuana operate and bans low-THC hemp products.
Ellwood, along with many farmer friends, ranchers and businesses, is collecting signatures for a referendum to repeal SB 56.
Another cannabis producer, The Fountain Cannabis Company, also rallied online against SB 56.
“As a farmer and someone who’s not just a stupid redneck hoping to get high, I really wonder what we’re doing here in Ohio,” Ellwood said. “It looks like the nanny state.”
However, Republicans such as Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, argue that the ban is necessary because hemp products are unregulated and there is no age requirement for purchase.
“Our main concern with intoxicating cannabis was edibles, primarily unregulated ones. We don’t know where it comes from. We don’t know if it’s even produced in the United States. We don’t know if it’s even advertised as such,” McColley said. “It’s actually aimed at children as well.”
McColley said the hemp industry is pushing to repeal the state’s hemp ban, despite the federal hemp ban taking effect in November 2026.
“They’re already facing uncertainty because obviously the federal ban will go into effect,” he said.
Still, Ohioans for Cannabis Choice participants expressed confidence that they would be able to collect enough signatures by the upcoming deadline.
They need 250,000 signatures by mid-March. If they collect the necessary signatures, work on the bill will be suspended until the November elections.
The campaign added that many farmers are with them, whether they produce hemp or not.
“We want to make sure this is possible for other farmers and communities beyond them,” Ellwood said.
The battle isn’t over, he said, knowing his crops – and the cause – will continue to grow.
The impact of marijuana
In November 2023, 57% of Ohioans voted “yes” on Issue 2: legalizing recreational marijuana.
But SB 56, a law passed by lawmakers, criminalized more than a dozen voter-approved laws.
The bill introduces a ban on smoking in public places and prohibits smoking in cars.
It also gives landlords the option to ban smoking and vaping, prohibits allowing marijuana in outdoor establishments and requires all products to be kept in the same packaging in which they were purchased.
Possessing an “open” container of marijuana is also a crime, meaning that if someone had a bag of edibles in the backseat of a Lyft or on a public bus – if it were ever opened, they would be breaking the law.
It also makes purchasing cannabis out of state a crime.
Federal law currently does not allow crossing state lines, but it is not enforced.
This would be an enforceable state law preventing a citizen from going to Michigan where weed is cheaper to purchase.
The legislation also removes protections against discrimination in housing, employment and even organ donation.
Democrats also argue that the provision would allow police to establish probable cause during a traffic stop if someone is a “known consumer” of marijuana.
We continued to ask Republican lawmakers whether they would abandon THC policy if voters repealed SB 56.
Gov. DeWine said supporters need to stop “like-doing” about the restrictions.
“Well, I think we’re very much in line with the voters’ intentions,” the governor responded.
For years, GOP leaders have argued that not only did they know what voters really wanted when each of them went to the polls, but also that voters didn’t know.
“I think supporters of this change should be happy with their election victory instead of going back now and complaining about something the legislature did that, frankly, I think is very consistent with what the average voter thought when they went to vote,” DeWine said.
McColley responded to the same question that the repeal effort simply comes from the hemp industry, not marijuana, and that’s what people voted for.
Issue 2 was for recreational marijuana, not hemp.
However, he did not address the fact that the bill adds criminal penalties to marijuana.
Even if SB 56 is repealed, lawmakers will still be able to do whatever they like. Theoretically, they could prepare a modern bill with very similar wording and pass it again.
This is due to the way Edition 2 was received.
For context, there are two main ways citizens can get a modern proposal on the statewide ballot: initiated legislation and a constitutional amendment.
The recreational marijuana proposal was initiated legislation, meaning it was incorporated into the Ohio Revised Code.
Once a bill or bill has been initiated, it is easier to come to a vote than a constitutional amendment.
Initiated laws can be easily changed by the legislator, but amendments cannot.
Supporters say they are focusing on the referendum effort, but everything is on the table – including proposing a constitutional amendment.
GOP leaders, no wonderI don’t want it.
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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