Ravenna and Kent will be the site of Portage County’s only medical marijuana dispensaries after the Ohio Board of Pharmacy awarded two companies permission to operate through a lottery.
One dispensary will be located at 554 N. Chestnut St. in Ravenna, with residential homes to the north, railroad tracks to south, and more residential homes across the street. The other will be at 331 E. Main St. in Kent, sandwiched between the Portage County Municipal Courthouse and Martin Dental Care.
Next-Level Operators will run the Kent dispensary; Simple AG Ohio will run the facility in Ravenna.
The companies have been awarded provisional licenses, giving them 270 days from the date of issuance (May 16) to prove to the state that they have complied with all rules and regulations. They may then apply for the certificate of operation that will allow them to begin selling their products.
The Kent location is the site of Lightly Toasted Glass & Vapors, a vape shop that also sells edibles and other marijuana-related items. The property is owned by James Dulick, who described himself as “just the landlord.” Lightly Toasted, owned by Dulick’s son Cooper and a friend, will move to a new location to make way for the dispensary, he said.
James Dulick declined further comment, and his son and his son’s partner could not be reached. Pamela Siekman, a representative for Next-Level Operators, said only that the project is in early stages.
Cheryl Hayes, who operates Inspired Tires, an upcycling tires business at 554 N. Chestnut St. in Ravenna, declined to comment on the future of the building or the business. A representative of Simple AG Ohio likewise declined to comment, saying the company will issue a press release in six to eight weeks.
In gaining the provisional licenses, Next-Level Operators and Simple AG Ohio beat out 27 other applicants in Portage County, which the state has designated as part of Northeast District 5. That district, which also includes Geauga and Lake counties, submitted 71 applications in all, each company hoping for one of three possible licenses.
The applications weren’t cheap. A $5,000 fee had to accompany each one, and each applicant had to prove access to at least $250,000 in liquid assets. Once the application deadline had passed, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy vetted each submission, and then held a literal lottery to determine provisional license recipients. Winners were announced May 16.
A third provisional license was issued to INSA Ohio, which plans to open a dispensary on Chardon Road in Willoughby Hills. That puts three dispensaries in Lake County, and none in Geauga County.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.