Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 56 on Dec. 19, 2025, and it took effect March 20, 2026. Most coverage focused on adult-use limits and hemp. For a medical patient the questions are narrower: what changes about your card, your purchases and your legal protection? This explainer sticks to what the sources support.
What Changes for Medical Patients
- Home delivery: the bill allows home delivery for medical patients and directs the Division of Cannabis Control to write the rules. Delivery has not started until those rules exist.
- Protections: medical patients keep legal protections that the bill removed for adult-use consumers.
- The card itself: we found nothing in our sources about changes to the medical card, its fee or its one-year term.
What Changed for Everyone
- Intoxicating hemp products move out of general retail and into the licensed dispensary system.
- Dispensary licenses are capped at 400.
- Marijuana must stay in its original packaging, and bringing legal marijuana into Ohio from another state is criminalized.
- Exceeding the home-grow limit of 6 plants per adult and 12 per household by any amount is now a crime.
- New limits apply to public use, and growing or consuming at childcare facilities is banned.
The Veto
DeWine vetoed a provision that would have let bars and breweries sell THC drinks for a year. The rest of the bill took effect as signed.
The Referendum Campaign
A group called Ohioans for Cannabis Choice launched a referendum campaign to repeal the law on the day it was signed. We could not confirm whether it gathered enough signatures, so check the Ohio Secretary of State for the current status.
Getting or Keeping an Ohio Card
The Division's guidance still requires a physician visit at least once a year, and a registry card is valid for one year. State materials from 2023 list a $50 patient fee, so confirm the current amount. Our Ohio guide has the checklist, a cost planner and the dispensary licensing section, and the renewal rules guide compares Ohio with ten other states.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Ohio Senate Bill 56 take effect?
March 20, 2026. Gov. DeWine signed it on Dec. 19, 2025.
Does SB 56 affect my medical marijuana card?
We found nothing in the sources about changes to the card, its fee or its one-year term. Medical patients keep protections that adult-use consumers lost, and home delivery is planned once rules exist.
Is Ohio still capping dispensaries?
Yes. SB 56 caps dispensary licenses at 400.
Was the repeal referendum successful?
We could not confirm. Check the Ohio Secretary of State.
Read the State Guides
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Related Reading
Last verified November 13, 2026. Fees and rules change, and each state guide links its sources. Educational only, not medical or legal advice.