The Ohioans for Cannabis Choice campaign, which sought to repeal recent hemp and cannabis legislation at the ballot box, has failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Ohio Capital Journal reports.

Ohio Republican lawmakers passed Senate Bill 56 last year, which changes the state’s voter-approved adult-use cannabis policies and targets the state’s hemp industry with sweeping bans on most hemp-derived cannabinoids. Attorney General Dave Yost initially rejected the title and language of the campaign brief, but then approved the petition in February after the campaign filed revisions.

The campaign did not release the number of signatures they had collected, but it would need at least 248,092 signatures from a wide swath of counties to qualify.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to overcome a truncated window of time to give voters the opportunity to say no to government overreach.” – Dennis Willard, spokesman for Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, in a statement

The new rules, which take effect March 20, set new maximum THC levels for cannabis concentrates (70%) and flower products (35%) and prohibit possession of cannabis products sourced outside of Ohio. Cannabis consumers in the state are now also required to store cannabis products in their original packaging.

Changes to Ohio’s hemp regulations and voter-approved cannabis reforms for adults will go into effect this week on Thursday, March 19.

According to the new rules, sales of intoxicating hemp products are prohibited. The rules also create new THC caps of 70% for cannabis concentrate products and 35% for cannabis flower products and establish new crimes for possession of cannabis products from out-of-state sources. The rules will also require cannabis to be kept in its original packaging and stored in the trunk of vehicles during transit.

The changes, which Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed into law in December, prompted a voting campaign to repeal the legislation.

Campaign advocates are trying to collect the 250,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot before March 19, as that would delay implementation of the rules until the electorate decides. Cleveland.com reports.

DeWine said in February that the advocates behind the repeal campaign should stop “yelling” for changing the reforms approved by the voters by the legislators.

The legislation originally included a cut for THC-infused hemp beverage products, but the governor’s line item vetoed that provision.

Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) on Monday issued a mandatory recall for a series of live resin pellets for adult use after testing revealed unsafe levels of Chlorfenapyr, an insecticide known to be toxic to humans.

The recall affects Yani “Watermelon Chimera” cartridges manufactured by NorCO Outdoor Cannabis under serial number 1A40D0300006145000011115. The products were sold as 0.5 gram and 1 gram live resin pellets in 21 licensed dispensaries across the state and the products were in circulation between July 10, 2025 and October 16, 2025.

OCP ordered the recall after a consumer complaint of an adverse health reaction prompted an official investigation, which included testing the offending batch of products.

“The products are being recalled due to those test results showing unsafe levels of the pesticide Chlorfenapyr. Inhaling cannabis containing unsafe levels of Chlorfenapyr can lead to high fever, sweating, nausea, vomiting and/or altered mental status.” – OCP statement

Officials recommended that consumers check the packaging of their cannabis products for the affected batch number and safely dispose of any recalled products or return them to the retailer where they were purchased.