With the passage of Issue 2 in November 2023, communities across the state have been enacting a wide range of regulations covering recreational and medical marijuana facilities.
This is the last of a three-part series from The Portager covering how every community in Portage County is addressing the changes. The piece on northern Portage County ran June 26 and the one on the county’s central communities ran July 3. This entry covers the county’s southern communities.
Brimfield Township in August 2019 limited medical marijuana dispensaries to integrated commercial, light industrial and heavy industrial districts, all the while stipulating that those facilities adhere to “any and and all future and/or federal guidelines.”
Brimfield Business Manager Holly Woods said township officials are relying on the county’s Regional Planning Commission to research and recommend how to proceed with recreational marijuana legislation.
Once those recommendations are made, Brimfield’s zoning commission will make its own recommendations, public hearings will be held and the trustees will hold a final vote, she said.
Rootstown Township trustees recently approved a six month moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities of all kinds. The idea is to give the township zoning commission time to craft its recommendations, Trustee Dave McIntyre said.
The township does not ban medical marijuana facilities, Trustee Joe Paulus said.
Edinburg Township does not have any moratoriums or outright bans on marijuana facilities, medical or adult use. Edinburg’s trustees want to see what actually happens with resolutions other townships have enacted before proceeding with their own moratoriums or bans, township Trustee Chris Diehl said.
“The township has very little authority about outlawing certain things,” he said. “It’s almost impossible for us to do that. In the past, whenever we’ve tried to restrict certain things, it’s always been tossed out of court, so to speak, so it’s been hard for townships specifically to do away with something.”
The trustees also want to see what rules and regulations the state’s Division of Cannabis Control may devise.
“If the state gives us some leeway as far as being able to regulate it and put it where we think is the best place for it, that’s one thing. We already have commercial zones so if someones going to open up a store, they’re going to have to be in the commercial. Aside from that, I’m not sure how much regulation we can do,” Diehl said.
Palmyra Township has not taken a position regarding marijuana facilities of any kind, Trustee Megan Coss said.
Suffield Township trustees banned medical marijuana cultivators, dispensaries and processors in 2016. Township leaders are considering what, if anything, they may do to address recreational marijuana, Fiscal Officer Lori Calcei said.
Randolph Township trustees have not addressed medical and/or recreational facilities at this time. The board wants to see what the state finalizes first, and what enforceable actions townships can take, Fiscal Officer Mary Rodenbucher said.
Atwater Township trustees passed a November 2023 resolution prohibiting adult-use cannabis operators and medical marijuana cultivators, processors and retail dispensaries.
“The trustees just felt there were still so many questions about this that we thought this was the best way to go in our small township,” Trustee Thora Green said. “There wasn’t a lot of discussion. We passed it and it was unanimous. We thought it was in the best interest of the township.”
Township leaders have not talked about revisiting the matter at this point in time, she added.
Deerfield Township has not regulated medical or recreational marijuana, but Trustee Charles “Ed” Dean said he intends to raise the issue at an upcoming board meeting.
The Village of Mogadore has no official stance on medical marijuana facilities of any kind.
Village council approved a six-month moratorium on the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of adult-use cannabis on Dec. 6, 2023, but council allowed the ban to expire in June.
The idea, according to the now-expired legislation, was to allow village officials time to review state and local laws and to allow the village zoning commission time to draft local regulations.
Village council has since decided to adhere to state guidelines and regulations even though they haven’t been finalized, Mayor Mike Rick said.
Whatever the state decides, Mogadore’s rules will not be stricter, he added.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.