Although the Ohio Board of Pharmacy voted its approval for two medical marijuana dispensaries in Butler County, not all residents are in agreement.
The licensees in Monroe and the village of Seven Mile are expected to open storefront operations when Ohio’s new medical marijuana industry launches.
The 56 licensees approved Monday were among 376 applications received for dispensary licenses, which will sell medical marijuana to registered, qualified patients whose licensed doctors have recommended they use the drug.
Larry Anglin was a Seven Mile council member when the proposal came through, and his first reaction was simple: “No,” he said.
“I didn’t want it here,” Anglin said. “It’s not going to help the town.”
Gloria Faber, of Hamilton, questioned the Seven Mile location by posting her thoughts on the Journal-News Facebook page.
“You would think that if a person was really suffering in pain and needed this product to help, you would have a place in Hamilton or another large town,” she wrote.
Locally, Blue Ash, Colerain Twp., Fairfield, Hamilton, Liberty Twp., Sharonville and West Chester Twp. all have rules blocking marijuana-related businesses in their communities.
Nicole Carter, 28, of Seven Mile, looked at the board’s approval as new business for the village.
“It’s money coming into town. I have nothing against it,” Carter said.
Carter and her co-worker at the 7 Mile Market, Kristen Jarbeau, 48, also believe in the possible benefits of the dispensary for medical relief.
“I think it can be used for good things,” Carter said.
Studies have shown that different elements in marijuana can have relieving effects, according to the American Cancer Society. It has been used to treat seizures and counteract nausea and pain in cancer patients.
“If you could put yourself in a place it could be used for your family, you’d be for it,” Jarbeau said.
