Ohio Issue 3 has failed after voters in the state rejected a single proposal that would have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana on Tuesday.

The failure of Ohio Issue 3 came in the wake of a costly campaign and a counter campaign by state lawmakers. A legal battle over the ballot wording and a probe into petition signatures were also launched before the proposal was voted on, according to the Daily Mail.

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Although only three-fourth of the votes have been counted as of now, the issue already lost 65 percent versus 35 percent, The Washington Post adds.

Had Ohio Issue 3 won, individuals 21 years old and above would have been able to use, buy, and even grow a certain quantity of marijuana. The proposal also included a regulation and taxation scheme for marijuana for the ten recognized cannabis growing facilities in the state --- a feature that anti-monopoly groups have brought up, the report details.

Despite the bleak future of Ohio Issue 3, campaign director Ian James continued to encourage its supporters, saying the battle is still on.

"We need to not only address compassionate care for the chronically ill, we need to also remain vigilant in protecting direct democracy," the Mail quotes James' statement before the anti-monopoly measure passed. "Because when the Statehouse refuses to deal with the voters, the voters have to make them deal to make sure that their voices are heard.

Recreational marijuana has already been legalized in Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. Medical marijuana, on the other hand, is already legal in half of the states in the country.

In a statement, Ohio Gov. John Kasich expressed his approval of the state voters' decision. He explained that there are already so many families suffering from the negative effects of drug abuse, so rejecting more convenient access to drugs will help strengthen the families in Ohio, the report relays.

Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies director Curt Steiner echoed Gov. Kasich's sentiments and said Ohio Issue 3 was all about monopolizing the recreational marijuana market in the state. He added that the proposal's primary goal was to amass profits for only a handful of rich investors.

In 2016, more efforts to legalize marijuana aside from Ohio Issue 3 are expected to make their way to the ballot in four other states.