Good morning.
Welcome back to the work week, everyone!
We’ve got a lot on tap this week, including a new recurring feature on Thursday called Banker on Call along with our partners at Shield Compliance. Stay tuned for more that.
Thanks for kicking off your Monday with us.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR, ZH
Today’s newsletter is 928 words or about a 7-minute read.
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May 5-7 | Cultivated @ MJ Unpacked
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💡 What’s the big deal?
OHIO
Ohio’s new cannabis rules take effect after ballot measure fails
Republican lawmakers overhauled Ohio’s cannabis rules, and a campaign block the changes through a ballot measure failed to secure enough signatures by the deadline.
The new rules governing cannabis and hemp went into effect on Mar. 20.
What they’re saying: “We were not able to overcome a truncated time period to give voters the chance to say no to government overreach,” Ohioans for Cannabis Choice spokesperson Dennis Willard said over text to the Statehouse News Bureau.
“This doesn’t change the reality that marijuana will be re-criminalized in Ohio, businesses will close, workers will lose their jobs and consumers will be denied their right to products they should be able to purchase.”
Zoom out: Ohio Gov, Mike DeWine signed SB 56 on Dec. 19, 2025.
The new law, which went into effect last Friday, creates new limitations on the state Department of Cannabis Control's ability to change rules, caps concentrates at 70% THC instead of 90%, establishes new advertising and packaging standards meant to prevent products from appealing to minors, and effectively outlaws all intoxicating hemp products, including beverages.
On the other hand, the bill maintained the six-plant limit for homegrow, legalized non-medical samples, legalized pre-rolls, and converted all licensed operators into medical/non-medical hybrids that can serve both sets of consumers.
Ohioans for Cannabis Choice mounted a campaign to block SB 56 through a ballot measure, but with only a couple of month’s lead time on the March 19 deadline, they were unable to gather the required 248,092 signatures.
Reluctance from the jump: Ohio voters legalized cannabis in November of 2023, but that fight involved a multi-year effort and a compromise between advocates and the state.
Originally, advocates wanted to put legalization on the 2022 ballot. An ongoing dispute and the legislature's unwillingness to take up the bill resulted in a compromise where the state allowed the legalization campaign to keep most of the signatures it gathered if it could wait to appear on the 2023 ballot.
Many of the smaller changes made to the law are already in effect in other states with legal cannabis markets, so it's hard to say what the economic impact might be.
The same cannot be said for Ohio's intoxicating hemp industry, which is now essentially outlawed.
-ZH
📣 Quotable
“I’m kind of agnostic on that issue, but when you’ve got four states surrounding you, you’re probably going to have to address it,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said of nearby states that have legalized cannabis and allowed medical cannabis use.
Braun, a Republican, was speaking at a Fiber Broadband Association event in Indianapolis on Mar. 19.
⏩ Quick hits
New York State is still grappling with cannabis billboards weeks past the Feb. 24 deadline to remove them as per updated advertisement guidelines.
Lawmakers in South Carolina reached an agreement on a new bill that would allow convenience stores to sell low-THC hemp beverages as long as they get a new hemp license. Edibles and beverages with 5-10mg THC would be restricted to liquor stores.
The growth of cannabis sales in Canada continues to outpace the nation's decline in alcohol sales, dropping 1.3% in January compared to Cannabis' 6.4% growth in the same period.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he expects legal cannabis to bring in about $729 million in state revenue, if only the state legislature could find a common ground on legalization.
⏪ In case you missed it
Friday’s This Week In Cannabis Live was a good one.
Catch up here:
📈 Deals, launches, partnerships
Kiva Sales & Service and Petalfast have signed a letter of intent to combine, creating what the companies say would be California's most powerful cannabis distribution platform and launching KSS Lite, a streamlined distribution tier for self-managed brands. Financial terms were not disclosed
Yale University and the McGill Research Centre for Cannabis announced a new collaboration to expand cannabis research from both entities.
👨⚖️ Lawsuits
An Ohio Judge shut down attempts to block the Mar. 20 intoxicating hemp ban stemming from a lawsuit from several out-of-state hemp operators.
A recent collections lawsuit from First Citizens Bank & Trust against MC Nutraceuticals is part of a larger trend where hemp operators are increasingly facing legal and financial scrutiny.
🧳 People moves
Michael Miles, who previously served as Deputy Director of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board is the new Acting Executive Director of the Board, following an appointment from Gov. Joe Lombardo on Mar. 19.
📰 What we’re reading
Pot Inc. is waiting to cash in on Trump’s marijuana reclassification — but the DOJ is still dragging its feet | The New York Post
Two steps forward, two steps back | Cannabis Musings