ONTARIO — The medical marijuana industry seems to be focused on north central Ohio this year.
One company sought out Richland County earlier this year as a possible location for a medical marijuana cultivation facility before backing away. However, a different company is looking at a potential site in Ontario, and yet another is considering a Loudonville location.
Earlier this year, an unnamed Cleveland-based company, was considering Ontario as a potential site for a medical marijuana cultivation facility. But has since abandoned the idea, according to a Richland County official.
“One of the things they knew they needed to have was community support,” said Barrett Thomas, Richland County director of economic development. “We did not land that deal.”
But another company, 4Front Ventures, has also approached Ontario’s council and maintains an interest. Like the previous inquiry, it met with strong opposition at a recent city council meeting. In a crowded room, Thursday, May 25, Ontario’s economic development committee heard from more protesters than supporters.
“The silent majority is in favor of medical marijuana very strongly,” representative Sam Tracy said after hearing from Ontario residents. “If you look at any national polls, it always polls above 80 percent. Four out of five people recognize this is an important medicine that really helps people.”
According to a CBS poll, he’s right.
An April 2017 poll shows 88 percent of Americans believe doctors should be able to “prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses.” The term “serious illness” is not defined.
Under Ohio’s legislation, patients may qualify for the use of medical marijuana if they have AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer or 18 other conditions. More conditions may later be added through a petitioning process.
“In these sort of settings, you tend to bring out the most passionate people on both sides of the issue,” Tracy said. “I feel like these meetings tend to be really polarized.”
4Front Ventures is also considering locations in Columbus or Coshocton, Ohio.
But like the previous company, 4Front Ventures values community support. Tracy said he wants to “get off on the right foot.”
Ontario Council will need to decide prior to the end of June, as this is the deadline for 4Front Ventures to apply for a license in Ohio. Ontario Council meets Wednesday, June 7 and Wednesday, June 21.
Meanwhile, Ashland Area Economic Development Director Kathy Goon said the BZGIST LLC., also a Cleveland-based business that is using the name “Glasshouse Farma,” is applying for a medical marijuana grower’s license and considering Loudonville as a location.
“I haven’t found a whole lot of resistance,” Goon said.
Loudonville mayor Steve Stricklen agreed.
He explained that village council voted unanimously in support of the facility after holding three readings. No one from the public showed up to oppose it.
“Zero came in to voice their opinion,” Stricklen said.
There were a few phone calls, and Stricklen noticed the occasional letter-to-the-editor in local papers, but the negativity, he says, has been limited.
On the other hand, Stricklen cited support from county commissioners, the Mohican Area Growth Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.
If the facility is built, it would be in the Eastern portion of Loudonville. The company has a site selected in the Loudonville industrial park, which is just across the Ashland County line in Holmes County.
Goon didn’t know if it was considering other locations, too.
“I spoke with the company representative,” Goon said in an email. “At this time, they are not available to comment or offer details.”
Like 4Front Ventures, the Glasshouse company considering an Ontario location needs to fill out an application to obtain a license before it can establish a cultivation facility.
In Richland County, Thomas said he has reached out to the company that was considering an Ontario location previously, but he didn’t know if it was the same group that is now considering Loudonville.
“I cannot tell you that because I don’t know,” Thomas said. “I’ve asked him (a contact) and he never responded to that request.”
He did, however, confirm that he hadn’t worked with a business using the name BZGIST LLC or Glasshouse Farma.
In a February 2017 interview, Thomas shared, “The company that I’m talking with won’t be operating the business. They are the ones applying for the license.”
The company name was never mentioned at Ontario Council meetings either. The topic was first brought up in the Feb. 1, 2017 meeting.
Thomas said a site selector reached out to him in early 2017 to discuss the possibility of setting up shop in the area. This was well before applications became available. The company had a site in mind, but he was unable to disclose the location.
It would have been approximately a $13 million investment, and the 45,000 square-foot facility was expected to employ 33 people with a $1.6 million payroll.
But even the smallest possibility of having a medical marijuana facility within the county didn’t sit well with some.
In March 2017, Richland Community Prayer Network Coordinator Benjamin Mutti organized a resistance movement. A letter signed by 70 county clergymen opposed the “harvesting and sale of medical marijuana in municipalities and townships within Richland County.”
“That was kind of the death note,” Thomas said. “Their reasons for not supporting it were that they didn’t want medical marijuana at all.”
Others like Ontario resident, Lanny Hawkins “didn’t know why Ontario wouldn’t want to make this part of our community,” according to the council’s March 1 meeting minutes.
The application acceptance periods are from June 5 to 16 and June 19 to 30. There are two levels of licenses, each with a different acceptance period. Only a specific number of licenses will be issued.
“The Department anticipates high volume traffic as applicants submit their applications towards the end of the applicable application acceptance periods,” reads the Cultivator Application Instructions.
Goon said there are more than 1,000 pages of documents that must be completed in the process.
Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 523 in June 2016, making Ohio the 26th state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The bill took effect Sept. 8 and is required to be operational in two years.
