She expects the survey to be on the website for four to five weeks, and she’s busy placing flyers around public areas in the city directing residents to the web site. Those who complete the survey will be eligible for a $25 Middletown restaurant dining gift card.
Mayor Nicole Condrey said she’s interested in hearing from residents about what they think about potentially changing the legislation. She said a few Middletown citizens, before the survey was posted, emailed her that they were “absolutely not” in favor of retail dispensaries operating in the city.
While Condrey will wait for the survey results, she doesn’t believe dispensaries should be used to grow the city’s economics.
Earlier this year, then-City Manager Jim Palenick told council a couple of marijuana cultivation companies had contacted the city about opening businesses there.
When the city receives inquirers from potential businesses, the city tells them they are “blocked” by the legislation that was signed by then-Mayor Larry Mulligan on Feb. 21, 2017, Palenick said.
He told council members “there is interest out there” in building in Middletown if council wanted to consider a policy change. He said the cultivation sites would be highly secured, indoor manufacturing centers.
There are no cultivation sites in Butler County and there are retail dispensing businesses in Monroe and Seven Mile.
This spring the Ohio Board of Pharmacy approved adding 73 dispensary licenses statewide, including three in Monroe, pushing the city’s total to four.
Once all dispensaries are operational, Monroe, with a population of 15,412, will have one marijuana business per 3,853 residents, the highest rate in the state.
The only Ohio cities that will have more dispensaries than Monroe are Columbus (15), Cincinnati (11), Cleveland (5) and Dayton (5). Monroe is tied for fifth with Canton that has a population more than four times larger at 70,872.
Of the provisional licenses in the state, those include three in Butler County, two in Warren County, four in Montgomery County and two in Miami County.
There are 59 dispensaries operating statewide now, including nine in this region: two in Butler County, one in Warren County, three in Montgomery County, two in Clark County and one in Greene County.
Strawberry Fields opened at 300 N. Main St. in Monroe in the fall of 2019. Jimmy Gould, the owner, said he sold that business last year and it’s called Columbia Care.
Two of the provisional licenses in Monroe were granted to Shangri-La Dispensary Ohio and one to Deaver Ohio. No locations have been announced for Shangri-La, but Deaver will be located at 1312 Ohio 63, according to the Ohio Department of Pharmacy.
Marijuana businesses
Cultivators: Level I cultivators are permitted to operate an initial marijuana cultivation area up to 25,000 square feet. Level II cultivators are permitted to operate an initial marijuana cultivation area of 3,000 square feet. Licensees may submit an expansion request pursuant to the cultivator rules.
Processors: A processor manufacturers medical marijuana products. There are three types of processors standalone, vertically integrated facilities, and a plant-only processor that is a cultivator who distributes plant material directly to dispensaries.
Testing laboratories: Testing laboratories include universities and private labs. There is no limit to the number of testing lab licenses that may be awarded by the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Dispensaries: The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy licenses and regulates medical marijuana dispensaries.
SOURCE: The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program
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