Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Medical marijuana will be sold in Ohio next year -- but don't count on picking up a prescription at your neighborhood dispensary.
Ohio's law allows cities, villages and townships to restrict the number of marijuana businesses that can operate within their limits or ban them altogether. And more than 50 municipalities already have passed temporary or permanent bans, some because of public safety concerns.
Some cities, driven by economic interests, have opened the doors to medical marijuana in their communities. But some affluent suburban Columbus communities are approaching the industry with caution.
Dublin
This well-to-do suburb of Columbus voted in June to bar dispensaries from opening in the city, citing legal and safety concerns.
Among those concerns: Marijuana is still a federally illegal substance. Banks, credit unions and credit card companies are reluctant to provide services to legal marijuana businesses because of uncertainty about federal regulators, leaving most businesses to operate on a cash-only basis. That could attract crime, such as robberies and theft.
Ohio is looking into a cashless medical marijuana system, but it's not yet a sure thing.
For city leaders, those concerns outweighed any economic benefit.
"The answer is yes - safety and legal concerns outweighed the business of medical marijuana," Dublin spokeswoman Sue Burness said.
One city resident share similar concerns in an interview with cleveland.com outside a downtown ice cream shop.
Loni Stone, is a 36-year-old stay-at-home mother. She previously worked in law enforcement in California, and recalls how robberies at marijuana dispensaries shook the community -- and strained police resources.
"They have a huge amount of cash. They would ask for officers to come just so employees could shut down at the end of the day, just to close. And we didn't have the manpower to do that," Stone said.
She also remembers the cavalier attitude people had toward medical marijuana.
"I've pulled people over who were literally smoking weed as they were driving, and they would say, 'But I have a prescription.' But you can't break the law even though you have a prescription," she said.
Stone believes there can be benefits to medical marijuana and supports its legal use. She said it could have helped her father when he lost his appetite while undergoing chemotherapy. But she doesn't believe dispensaries would fit in Dublin.
"I picked to live in Dublin for many reasons, and I think I would like the image to maintain the way it is. I think I would prefer not to have dispensaries here."
Upper Arlington
This affluent suburb instituted a 12-month temporary ban in October, citing a need for more information about how medical marijuana would work in Ohio.
Councilman Kip Greenhill said he has a hunch the council will extend the ban, to gather more information about medical marijuana. He said he's concerned about how the marijuana businesses might affect property values.
The median home value in Upper Arlington was $325,200 between 2011 and 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Elsewhere in Ohio
Several Northeast Ohio communities, including Lorain, Painesville, Eastlake and Richmond Heights, are open to marijuana businesses. Cleveland also has rolled back a moratorium on cultivation of medical marijuana. The driving factor: Entrepreneurs and investors want to start businesses there.
Most communities are approaching the issue with a wait-and-see attitude, said Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League. It's one of the most talked about issues he's heard about recently among mayors of cities and villages.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Some Columbus suburbs approach medical marijuana with caution: Ohio Matters | cleveland.com
Author: Mary Kilpatrick
Contact: Cleveland.com Contact Us
Photo Credit: Dake Kang
Website: Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com
Ohio's law allows cities, villages and townships to restrict the number of marijuana businesses that can operate within their limits or ban them altogether. And more than 50 municipalities already have passed temporary or permanent bans, some because of public safety concerns.
Some cities, driven by economic interests, have opened the doors to medical marijuana in their communities. But some affluent suburban Columbus communities are approaching the industry with caution.
Dublin
This well-to-do suburb of Columbus voted in June to bar dispensaries from opening in the city, citing legal and safety concerns.
Among those concerns: Marijuana is still a federally illegal substance. Banks, credit unions and credit card companies are reluctant to provide services to legal marijuana businesses because of uncertainty about federal regulators, leaving most businesses to operate on a cash-only basis. That could attract crime, such as robberies and theft.
Ohio is looking into a cashless medical marijuana system, but it's not yet a sure thing.
For city leaders, those concerns outweighed any economic benefit.
"The answer is yes - safety and legal concerns outweighed the business of medical marijuana," Dublin spokeswoman Sue Burness said.
One city resident share similar concerns in an interview with cleveland.com outside a downtown ice cream shop.
Loni Stone, is a 36-year-old stay-at-home mother. She previously worked in law enforcement in California, and recalls how robberies at marijuana dispensaries shook the community -- and strained police resources.
"They have a huge amount of cash. They would ask for officers to come just so employees could shut down at the end of the day, just to close. And we didn't have the manpower to do that," Stone said.
She also remembers the cavalier attitude people had toward medical marijuana.
"I've pulled people over who were literally smoking weed as they were driving, and they would say, 'But I have a prescription.' But you can't break the law even though you have a prescription," she said.
Stone believes there can be benefits to medical marijuana and supports its legal use. She said it could have helped her father when he lost his appetite while undergoing chemotherapy. But she doesn't believe dispensaries would fit in Dublin.
"I picked to live in Dublin for many reasons, and I think I would like the image to maintain the way it is. I think I would prefer not to have dispensaries here."
Upper Arlington
This affluent suburb instituted a 12-month temporary ban in October, citing a need for more information about how medical marijuana would work in Ohio.
Councilman Kip Greenhill said he has a hunch the council will extend the ban, to gather more information about medical marijuana. He said he's concerned about how the marijuana businesses might affect property values.
The median home value in Upper Arlington was $325,200 between 2011 and 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Elsewhere in Ohio
Several Northeast Ohio communities, including Lorain, Painesville, Eastlake and Richmond Heights, are open to marijuana businesses. Cleveland also has rolled back a moratorium on cultivation of medical marijuana. The driving factor: Entrepreneurs and investors want to start businesses there.
Most communities are approaching the issue with a wait-and-see attitude, said Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League. It's one of the most talked about issues he's heard about recently among mayors of cities and villages.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Some Columbus suburbs approach medical marijuana with caution: Ohio Matters | cleveland.com
Author: Mary Kilpatrick
Contact: Cleveland.com Contact Us
Photo Credit: Dake Kang
Website: Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com
