Trending
NILES -- Officials are considering how to handle marijuana dispensaries and sales within city limits.
Ohio voters approved Issue 2 last year, legalizing recreational marijuana in the state, but the amendment allows communities to create ordinances prohibiting adult-use recreational marijuana businesses.
Many communities throughout the Mahoning Valley already have limited the cultivation, distribution, processing and sale of recreational marijuana.
Niles Law Director Phil Zuzolo said Ohio has a system regarding which individuals or companies can receive licenses for adult-use marijuana facilities.
The city will determine its local regulations for such facilities.
"Do we look at a moratorium like other communities have, or do we look at limiting it to just one license," he said.
The general feeling from early discussions is that Niles council will not look for a moratorium to ban activities related to marijuana. Another consideration would be to draft legislation limiting the city to one dispensary.
Communities have taken a few different approaches to the matter.
In Newton Falls, village council recently approved a temporary moratorium on any marijuana dispensaries being allowed in the village by a 4-1 vote.
The village of Lordstown voted 4-2 to prohibit the cultivation, distribution, processing and sale of recreational marijuana in the village.
In Mahoning County, Austintown Township Trustees Robert Santos and Bruce Shepas voted in April to impose a moratorium until at least the end of the year, citing financial and legal concerns about the businesses.
Two months later, the trustees reversed course, voting instead on June 3 in support of a motion to approve adult-use cannabis operators within the township.
Niles at-Large Councilman Doug Sollitto said he understands the concerns of those who do not want to see dispensaries in the city. But, he pointed out that not only did the marijuana issue pass in the state, it also passed overwhelmingly among voters in Niles.
"Recreational marijuana is now legal in the state," Sollitto said. "Whether you supported it or didn't support it, it is something that is now the law. It's as legal as going to get alcohol is."
Sollitto said banning marijuana sales in the city would do little to prevent the use of such products in Niles.
"If we don't have it here, (people) can literally go 1 mile down the road to Liberty, Girard, and have that dispensary there. It isn't going to change much, they just drove a mile further," he said.
A Warren medical marijuana dispensary, gLeaf Medical of Ohio, sits about 1 mile outside of Niles city limits on Youngstown Road SE.
Sollitto said marijuana sales would bring "several hundred thousands of dollars" to the city, and action to ban such establishments would "give all that revenue to the outside cities."
Per current Niles zoning, Zuzolo said the only area in the city where a dispensary could be operated would be the U.S. Route 422 corridor.
Zuzolo said another option outside of a moratorium or limit of one dispensary would be to simply do nothing and allow for current city zoning to act as a limit. Marijuana dispensaries are not allowed to be within 1 mile of another dispensary or 500 feet of any school, playground, library or church.
"Niles being the size that we are, where the zoning right now would allow for it, 1 mile may leave that there could only be one anyway," Zuzolo said.
Sollitto said one of the stipulations some council members want to see added for any dispensary would be for that establishment to pay for a police officer to act as security.
Zuzolo said the city potentially could add some sort of consideration for security.
"When they apply, they would apply to the planning commission, and the planning commission would make sure that they met the criteria to effectively get a city license without it actually being a license," he said. "Basically saying, 'Yes, we will approve this use at this facility because you are meeting the following criteria,' and security would be, regardless of whatever criteria we come up with; that's definitely going to be in there."
Sollitto said he would like to see council united on whatever decision it makes regarding marijuana legislation, but he believes it could be a "very close vote" either way.
"I just don't think we should make a rash decision and say no completely when you're not going to stop the selling of marijuana," he said. "To say no and they go down the road and it's a mile different, but meanwhile you've lost a half-million dollars in revenue you could've had. You're still going to have dispensaries; you just may not reap the benefits."
Have an interesting story? Contact Mason Cole by email at mcole@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @masoncoletrib.