Waynesville to join communities prohibiting medical marijuana

This Warren County village is expected to join area communities prohibiting the manufacture, processing or distribution of medical marijuana.

Today, Waynesville’s council is expected to approve zoning regulations barring the use of land with village limits for the aforementioned segments of the coming medical marijuana business in Ohio.

“There’s really been no debate,” said Waynesville Mayor Dave Stubbs.

Ohio is one of 29 states to permit the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Council on State Legislatures. Passed into law in 2016, the Ohio Department of Commerce and State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy are required to have Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program fully operational by September 2018.

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In anticipation, some local governments have enacted moratoriums or prohibitions.

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Dayton has taken no action. Lebanon Council considered and debated, but decided not to prohibit or declare a moratorium.

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Yellow Springs officials joined a groundbreaking on Dec. 14 for the first local medical marijuana plant, a 23,294-square-foot greenhouse and 26,445-square-foot processing plant near Antioch University.

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But prohibitions are in effect in Xenia, Springboro, Middletown and most of Warren County. In the Village of Carlisle, a prohibition makes an exception for land deal with a large cultivator that failed to get a state license.

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On Jan. 22, the Mason City Council is expected to approve a prohibition approving a six-month moratorium.

Today, the Waynesville council is expected to hold a second and final reading on a prohibition that would replace the second of two moratoriums.

“Our council has supported two temporary moratoriums,” Stubbs said, noting no one came to public hearings or meetings or otherwise commented on the pending issue. “There was no interest from anyone to do anything different.”

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