Ohio Gov. Says Advocates Challenging New Cannabis Rules Should Stop ‘Whining’
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine criticized the Ohioans for Cannabis Choice campaign, telling them to stop “whining” about recent restrictions on hemp and cannabis products.
- The campaign argues that new laws imposing criminal penalties for out-of-state cannabis possession and banning intoxicating hemp products are government overreach and contradict the 2023 voter-approved adult-use cannabis policy.
- Gov. DeWine maintains that the legislative changes align with voter intent and that proponents should accept their initial election victory instead of challenging the new restrictions.
- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initially rejected but later approved revised ballot summary language for the campaign, which must gather nearly 250,000 signatures by mid-March to qualify for the November ballot.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said that advocates with the Ohioans for Cannabis Choice campaign to repeal recently adopted restrictions on hemp and cannabis products should stop “whining” about the policy change, the Ohio Capital Journal reports.
The campaign argues that the changes — which created new criminal penalties for possessing out-of-state cannabis products and banned intoxicating hemp products outright — represent “government overreach” and violate the will of Ohio voters, who approved the state’s adult-use cannabis policy in 2023.
But the governor said last week of the Legislature’s changes, “I think we’re very consistent with what voters intended.”
“I think the proponents should be happy with their victory at the polls, instead of now going back and whining about something the legislature has done, which frankly, I think is very consistent with what the average voter was thinking when they went in to vote.” — Gov. DeWine, in the report
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost rejected the campaign’s proposed ballot summary language in January, concluding the title and language were not “a fair and truthful representation of the measure.” But after revisions, Yost certified the campaign’s new summary language last week.
The campaign has until mid-March to collect the nearly 250,000 voter signatures required to qualify for November ballots.