Should The City Place Restrictions on Dispensaries For Medical Marijuana?

On Tuesday, the Norwalk City Council considered an ordinance that would limit the number and placement of medical marijuana dispensaries within the city. Steve Schumm, a city councilman, introduced the rule in an effort to limit the number of dispensaries in Maple City.

The proposed ordinance would restrict medical marijuana dispensaries to the central business area and manufacturing zones. It would also mandate a minimum distance of 500 feet between dispensaries and cultivation facilities and the lot line of any property zoned for residential use, or used as a school, church, public library, playground, or park.

To kick off the conversation, Schumm stated, “If we are going to protect the city’s inhabitants of Norwalk, we are not forbidding medicinal marijuana we are simply attempting to impose some limitations.” For any legislation to take effect before a license is issued, in my opinion, rather than after it is issued.

Director of city law Stu O’Hara collaborated with Steve Schumm on the ordinance. “The objective of this legislation is to designate what zones within the districts within the city that they may allow the various sorts of medical marijuana,” O’Hara said during the council’s work session.

“The state can issue one of three distinct sorts of licenses. Three distinct establishments are involved in the distribution of medical marijuana to patients: one for growing the plant, another for processing it, and a dispensary.” On the other hand, some council members have voiced concerns that the proposed legislation will be excessively restrictive.

I just wanted to make a couple of remarks on the proposal,” stated Councilman Matt Doughty. “To begin, let me emphasize that I personally would not support any kind of special treatment for a medical marijuana establishment that would not be afforded, say, to a local pharmacy or liquor store.

Second, it’s not simple to cultivate marijuana in an agricultural setting. It is not something that someone is going to walk into an R1 (residential district) and start growing a marijuana field in their backyard. Not in the way you think. There are very stringent laws and regulations in place by the state that govern how these farms can be managed and operated.”

Deb Lucal, a member of the council, described the measure as “extremely restricted.” This is medical marijuana, but there is a stigma attached to it, Lucal said. “It’s not something you can cultivate in the yard. Government and its various agencies and sets of laws and regulations govern everything.

Because a medical marijuana dispensary is functionally identical to a pharmacy, it makes sense to locate it near other drug distribution facilities. There is no reason to place further limitations on this.” The city produced a map on Tuesday showing potential sites for medicinal marijuana dispensaries in the event that an ordinance was to be adopted.

These locations were designated as commercial or industrial. Some council members’ worries that the legislation was excessively restrictive did not appear to be allayed by the map. That’s because the map didn’t show whether locations zoned for industry or manufacturing were within 500 feet of houses.

Doughty remarked, “I’m a little bewildered by that since it appears to be displaying all the sites in which we may currently, or with this legislation install a dispensary.” “Most of the colored-in places for available use are within 500 feet of a dwelling at present, severely limiting the regions that we may potentially build a facility.

Unfortunately, I think this map fails to highlight where there are residences in situ. It renders Norwalk completely unlivable (for a medical marijuana business to locate). No one is going to want to open a shop on a deserted side street in the city’s fringes if they realize how few options there are on this map. They will likely choose a central business district to house it.

To that end, I oppose this bill and think we should abandon it.” Council members agreed they wouldn’t place the law on the agenda until they get a more detailed map that identifies which areas zoned for commercial or manufacturing are within 500 feet of residential neighborhoods.

Steve Euton, the council president, stated, “I can’t tell from this map where 500 feet is.” “I cannot make an informed judgment without that information.” Norwalk’s zoning officer Mitch Loughton said he was working on an updated version of the map on Wednesday and expected it to be available by Thursday.

Medical marijuana in Ohio was made legal by House Bill 523 in 2016. This bill would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Ohio for patients who have been recommended it by a doctor who is both licensed in the state and has been approved to prescribe medical marijuana by the State Medical Board.

Conditions such as the following are recognized by Ohio law as “qualifying medical conditions: diseases and conditions such as AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic and severe or intractable pain, Parkinson’s disease, a positive HIV test, post-

Only three legal medical marijuana stores are listed in the neighborhood, per the state’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary Map. Fremont’s Terrasana is located at 1800 E. State St., The Forest Sandusky is at 1651 Tiffin Ave., and Huron’s Firelands Scientific is at 2300 University Dr. E. According to the state’s official website, applications for newly licensed dispensaries are currently being delayed.