YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Ohio’s new recreational use marijuana law allows communities to say they don’t want dispensaries, processors, or growers in their cities or townships, and no local community has yet to publicly say they will welcome it.
Boardman and Howland have said no, and Austintown and Lisbon have moratoriums. However, two of the five dispensaries in the Mahoning Valley are still making plans to sell recreational marijuana, which is expected to become available on or before September 7.
One dispensary is Green Leaf Therapy, which has been selling medical marijuana in downtown Struthers for a year.
“We’ve been ready since March. We’re expected to get going here,” said Cory Groner whose family owns Green Leaf.
Green Leaf will apply for a recreational marijuana license on June 7, the first day allowed. Although Struthers has yet to commit to recreational sales, Groner does not anticipate a problem. He’s already talked with Mayor Cat Miller who he says has been phenomenal during this process.
On Market Street in Youngstown, five miles west of Green Leaf, is another dispensary called Leaf Relief owned by Terrell Washington who also doesn’t expect any problems.
Washington said he doesn’t expect any pushback from the city of Youngstown and that Leaf Relief will likely see recreational sales by this summer, but he doesn’t have any problems with cities that do opt-out.
“I believe it’s every town’s right to voice their concerns. It’s not for everybody,” said Washington.
Tom Haren, the spokesman for the Ohio Cannabis Coalition, says communities that opt out now may be back later.
“You’re going to have your citizens using, growing in their own homes, but they can’t purchase it in their own city. Well, that’s the one issue, and two is you’re missing out on all that tax money,” said Groner.
Of all the money made from recreational marijuana, 36 percent goes directly to the communities. Groner says that’s at least $200,000 a year back in taxes for the city.
“That revenue is solely directed to communities that have adult-use dispensaries,” said Haren.
“And there’s no increase in crime. What you actually see is an increase in property values and economic investment near these dispensaries because they’re under video surveillance,” Haren said.
Washington also owns a dispensary in New Jersey in addition to Leaf Relief in Youngstown. He says that they have the same rule in New Jersey for communities to opt out, but if they do, they’re out for five years to prevent any “backdoor deals.”
One local community that has yet to decide, but has a robust retail corridor, is Niles. Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said there haven’t been any discussions yet and they will wait on final guidelines from the state.
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