Ohio Senate Bill 56 Now in Effect, Changes Marijuana Rules Including Out of State Purchases

Ohio’s new Senate Bill 56 took effect March 20, 2026, making broad changes to the state’s marijuana and hemp laws. The measure rewrote parts of Ohio’s adult use and medical marijuana system, added new transportation and public use restrictions, created a new regulatory structure for intoxicating hemp products, and left in place Ohio’s home grow limits of up to 6 plants per adult and 12 plants per household.

One of the biggest changes involves where marijuana can legally come from. Under Ohio’s revised law, an adult use consumer may possess adult use marijuana obtained from a licensed dispensary, while homegrown marijuana must be cultivated under Ohio’s home grow law. A legislative bill analysis says that means marijuana acquired elsewhere, including from an out of state dispensary, cannot be legally possessed under the bill.

The law also sets new rules for transporting marijuana in a vehicle. Adult use or medical marijuana must be in its original unopened packaging, or if it has already been opened, it must be stored in the trunk or behind the last upright seat in an area not easily accessible to the driver. Homegrown marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia are also subject to similar storage rules in a vehicle.

Senate Bill 56 also tightens where marijuana may be used. Ohio law now says adult use marijuana or homegrown marijuana cannot be consumed in a public place, and smoking, combustion, or vaporization is prohibited in public places and places of employment, along with other restricted settings listed in state law.

The law keeps employer protections in place as well. Ohio employers are still not required to permit or accommodate marijuana use, possession, or distribution, and they may continue to enforce drug testing, drug free workplace, and zero tolerance policies.

Senate Bill 56 also added a new expungement section for certain older marijuana or hashish possession cases, and it created a new framework for regulating intoxicating hemp products and drinkable cannabinoid products in Ohio.