BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Voters will decide in November whether to ban businesses that grow and/or sell recreational marijuana in town.
City Council voted 6-0 last week to place the issue on the ballot.
In April, the Planning Commission recommended taking the matter to voters after council asked the commission for its opinion.
The commission, before voting, hosted a public hearing on recreational marijuana. Only one resident commented, asking a technical question but not registering an opinion.
In February, Law Director David Matty had told City Council that, in his opinion, council had no authority on its own to prohibit recreational marijuana businesses.
That’s because a ban on recreational marijuana businesses would amend Brecksville’s zoning code. In Breckville, voters decide all zoning issues.
Ohioans voted in November to legalize recreational use of marijuana for those 21 and older. Ohio was the 24th state to do so.
Under the law passed by voters, individual municipalities like Brecksville cannot prohibit the use of marijuana in the city — at least in private settings — or prevent residents from growing a certain amount of marijuana in their homes, unless landlords don’t allow it.
The law permits each adult to grow up to six marijuana plants in their home and up to 12 marijuana plants in one household.
Those 21 and older can possess up to 2½ ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of marijuana extracts.
However, municipalities can ban or limit the number of marijuana dispensaries in their communities.
The state law went into effect Dec. 7. In May, a set of rules that will guide the operations of Ohio’s recreational marijuana program went into effect.
In November 2017, Brecksville voters banned the growing, processing and selling of medical marijuana in the city.
With the city charter requiring 55 percent of the vote for passage, voters approved the ban 2,501 to 1,618, or with 61 percent of the vote.
In February, Councilmen Brian Stucky and Dominic Caruso said that for the sake of consistency, the city should ban recreational marijuana businesses, as it did medical marijuana.
However, Stucky said council needs to hear from voters on the recreational marijuana issue.
Read more from the Sun Star Courier.
Be the first to comment