Austintown has reversed its position on marijuana dispensaries, two months after placing a moratorium on the businesses.

In a unanimous vote at Monday’s regular meeting, the township board of trustees supported a motion to approve adult-use cannabis operators within the township.

“A couple months ago, we said the governor’s office was trying to do some things and we didn’t feel we had clear guidelines, so we were going to wait until 2025,” said trustee Bruce Shepas.

After voters passed Issue 2 in the November general election, some proposed rules were released in January; it is unclear when new guidance was made available that would influence trustees’ change of heart.

However, the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control website states that applications will be available on Friday for recreational use dispensaries and permits will be issued no later than Sept. 7.

“We’re going to reopen this and review it. There are some deadlines coming up, which is why we’re reviewing it now,” Shepas said.

He said the township needs to have its policy in place so any state-permitted business can readily apply for a zoning permit from the township. One of the prerequisites, he said, is that applicants must have a space designated if they are not already operating a licensed medical marijuana dispensary.

Shepas said that with proper guidance in place, trustees feel comfortable with the possibility of a dispensary opening and operating in Austintown and expect such a business would have a positive economic benefit for the township.

By law, 10% of the sales from every dispensary in Ohio are collected as an excise tax. The state’s website says that money will pay for “a social equity and jobs program, mental health and addiction services, local governments, and the administrative costs of the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Division of Cannabis Control.”

Local governments will receive 35% of the revenue from the tax.

“There is potentially a great benefit to the township and we can earmark that money for different things,” Shepas said. “For example, we could designate that for the parks for a year or two, then in two years we can put it toward the police department or roads.”

Besides the right to approve or deny a business, regardless of state licensure, the township has the authority to decide where it will permit a marijuana business to operate and how many it will permit within the township.

Shepas said the law prevents dispensaries from opening within one mile of one another, but he expects trustees will keep the number of dispensaries low, and perhaps even limited to one for the entire township.

Have an interesting story? Contact Dan Pompili by email at dpompili@vindy.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.