Forget the Powerball. The state of Ohio has another drawing set for Jan. 27, and this one could result in up to three medical marijuana dispensaries in Portage County.
After dividing the state into multi-county districts, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy reviewed the distribution of dispensaries across the state and determined where more are needed. Companies are invited to apply, and the board will hold a drawing (literally) to determine the winners.
Portage County is in Northeast District 5, which also includes Geauga and Lake Counties. By the end of the application period, 71 requests were submitted for NED5, and 27 of those were for locations in Portage County.
The applicants and proposed dispensary locations are:
- Amplify Dispensaries, LLC 1181 W. Main St., Kent (associated with Buckeye Relief)
- C21 Ohio, Inc. 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Citizen Real Estate, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- CREAM Apothecaries Ohio, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- CULTURE RETAIL PARTNERS OF OHIO, INC., 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- FN Group Holdings, LLC, 9156 S.R. 14, Streetsboro
- FUTURE GEN OHIO, LLC, 2108 S.R. 59, Franklin Township
- FUTURE GEN OHIO LLC, 644 S. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Galenas LLC, 166 Currie Hall Parkway, Kent
- GF Ohio LLC, 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Hempnotize, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Hempnotize, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Hill Botanicals, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna (associated with ONE)
- Jazz Dog LLC 2108 S.R. 59, Kent
- Mani Group LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Natures OH LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Natures Provider LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Nectar Markets of Ohio, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Next-Level Operators LLC 331 E. Main St., Kent
- OTC Ohio LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- QS Ohio, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Route 59 Medicinals LLC 2108 S.R. 59, Kent
- Shoob & Waldo, LLC 2108 S.R. 59, Kent
- SIMPLE AG OHIO, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Slightly Toasted, LLC 331 E. Main St., Kent
- Tree Market, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
- Tru Roots, LLC 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
As you can see, 554 N. Chestnut St. in Ravenna is a pretty popular location. Property owners Fred and Cheryl Hayes stated they have no comment until the lottery results are announced. It appears one lucky winner will hope to purchase the property after the drawing.
A vacant building at 2108 state Route 59 in Franklin Township was listed on four applications, and 331 E. Main St. in Kent was listed on two more.
Efforts to reach J & L White Stone, the property owner of 2108 state Route 59, were unsuccessful.
Cooper Dulick, who identified himself as partial owner of Lightly Toasted Glass & Vapors, said he would welcome adding dispensary operations to the Kent business at 331 E. Main St.
“We think that would be a great business,” he said. “We’ve had a bunch of people come in with their medical cards and ask if we knew where a dispensary was. We’re just a vape store right now. But if we could start actually helping people, that would be awesome.”
Cooper referred further questions to his father, James Dulick, who declined comment until after the Jan. 27 lottery.
Applications were submitted by Next-Level Operators LLC and by Slightly Toasted LLC. The Portage County Auditor lists Slightly Toasted as the owner of 331 E. Main St., where Lightly Toasted is located.
Northeast District 5 currently has two dispensaries, one in Painesville and one in Mentor. None are in Portage County.
When determining licensures, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy considers the state’s population, the number of patients seeking to use medical marijuana, and the geographic distribution of dispensaries. The districts themselves are carved out with an eye to access to major Ohio roadways.
In deciding to increase NED5’s total number of dispensaries from two to five, the Board analyzed the number of patients, intending to equalize access. It found that in NED5, there were 5,636 patients, which translated to 2,818 patients per dispensary. The Board’s stated goal is to have 1,200 registered patients per dispensary.
For this lottery, there were 1,463 applications submitted. Only 73 new licenses will be issued.
The applications aren’t cheap. A $5,000 fee must accompany each one, and all applicants must prove access to at least $250,000 in liquid assets.
It comes down to this: Portage County doesn’t have any dispensaries now. Come Jan. 27, it may get zero, one, two or three. Like any lottery, there’s no way to know.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.