MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council Clerk Delaine Weiner provided the munchies Monday at noon, perhaps fitting as local lawmakers learned more about the implementation of an adult-use marijuana law in Ohio.
Chips, dip and cookies flowed as freely as information during a webinar in council chambers, a 90-minute lunchtime event sponsored by the Ohio Municipal League.
Given the fact council is scheduled to vote June 4 on a proposed six-month moratorium on any cannabis dispensaries in the city, local lawmakers are seeking more information about the new law, approved by 57 percent of Ohio voters in November 2023 as State Issue 2.
That fact-finding effort will continue Tuesday during a safety committee meeting at 6:40 p.m., a session that will include a speaker on the topic.
Sitting in council chambers Monday during the on-line presentation were At-large Councilman David Falquette, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Cheryl Meier, 3rd Ward Councilman Rev. El Akuchie and 6th Ward Councilwoman Deborah Mount.
Leading the presentation Monday were three attorneys tied to adult-use cannabis in Ohio:
Andrew Makoski, senior attorney for the Ohio Department of Commerce Medical Marijuana Control Program; and attorneys John Oberle and Samuel Porter with the Ice Miller Law Firm, which helped draft the language for State Issue 2.
(Below is a PDF of the pending legislation before Mansfield City Council that would enact a six-month moratorium on the creation of any adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the city. It’s scheduled for vote June 4.)
The issue was introduced to council on April 16, under a portion of the new state law (Ohio Revised Code 3780) that allows cities, villages and townships to make their own decisions regarding dispensaries.
Mayor Jodie Perry sought the moratorium.
“(The moratorium on dispensaries) gives us some time to see what the state issues as far as the final regulations,” Perry said in April. “There are obviously a lot of strong opinions on both sides of this. I think it’s fair for us to have all the facts before council makes that decision.”
City voters mirrored the rest of the state in November as 57 percent of the 11,244 votes cast in Mansfield supported State Issue 2, which also allows residents to grow a certain amount of cannabis in their own homes.
The issue was approved in all but one ward in the city. Voters in the 1st Ward opposed it — 1,762 to 1,540, according to the Richland County Board of Elections.
It would not be the first time Mansfield lawmakers have acted after a statewide marijuana law change.
In 2017, council voted 6-1 to not allow medical marijuana dispensaries in the city after such use of cannabis was approved in Ohio in 2016. That ban remains in place in Mansfield.
Local lawmakers appear divided on the topic.
Akuchie and 4th Ward Councilwoman Cynthia Daley have expressed the strongest concerns.
“It’s conflicting because we have a drug issue here and I see marijuana as a gateway for other drugs,” Daley said in April.
“I work with a drug counseling agency and we see people who are being affected. So this is really something that we really have to take into consideration.”
Fifth Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz said in April it’s a “heated” topic and planned to spend time seeking public input.
“We all have our own different views on it. But I definitely think we should do the very opposite of what’s been done recently … just not having a conversation and voting on it right away,” Diaz said.
“Despite our views, whether it’s our beliefs or whatever, we have a lot of people in our community who have opinions about this. I know we’ve all been getting some emails and calls,” Diaz said.
At-large Councilwoman Stephanie Zader was the only local lawmaker in April who spoke about the potential economic benefit from a cannabis dispensary. Under the state law, communities that allow dispensaries will receive 36 percent of the 10 percent excise tax charged at the point of sale.
“We haven’t put in place the processes and procedures to look at adapting this into our city, but I also know that we’re in dire need of economic development in our city, and these businesses are going in all across the state of Ohio as this happens,” Zader said.
“I think limiting our options when it comes to economic development is an unwise choice. I’m a conservative sitting up here, and this is probably not the popular conservative opinion, but that’s never been my agenda up here.
According to a story published May 14 at Cleveland.com, 47 Ohio cities and townships — and counting — have at least temporarily banned recreational marijuana businesses.
“The 47 jurisdictions represent a little less than 9 percent of Ohio’s population, with the average population of moratorium localities hovering just above 20,000 residents,” according to new research from Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, which looked at ordinances in Ohio cities up to March 31.
In Richland County, Shelby City Council, Lexington Village Council and Madison Township trustees have already voted not to allow such businesses.
Ontario City Council has approved a six-month moratorium on dispensaries, buying time before making a decision The Village of Bellville, after a public meeting on the topic that attracted 150 residents, may ask voters to decide.
Makoski made it clear the adult-use cannabis dispensary train is chugging along the tracks as the agency drafts rules that will regulate the industry, just as alcohol is regulated in Ohio.
Medical marijuana dispensaries will likely get the first crack at recreational-use facilities, becoming “dual-use” outlets, according to Makoski.
He said the state expects to license 180 to 200 new dispensaries in the next several months after rules are finalized and applications begin to flow in on June 7.
