HUBBARD — The future looks brighter for the city’s lone dispensary after voters passed lifting a ban on adult-use recreational cannabis.

Dustin Crites, A Cut Above Dispensary’s general manager, explained that while things are still tight, there’s now an impending sense of hope.

“It was definitely very, very difficult where we did everything we could to make it to the vote, and now that the vote has happened we found a way to at least skate through,” Crites said. “We’re still kind of hanging on for dear life here, but the light is at the end of the tunnel now.”

There are still a few more steps they need to take before they can sell recreational marijuana, Crites said, starting with getting the verified results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections and submitting them to Mayor Ben Kyle and city council.

They’re already working with the Department of Commerce toward the adult-use license’s issuance, however.

He expects them to be ready to sell between Thanksgiving and Christmas but plans to continue operating expenses responsibly until then on the medicinal side.

The lifted ban marks the end of one battle for Crites and ACA Dispensary.

Crites previously said the company was among the first businesses to be approved for a dual-use license under the name B Cubed Operations Ohio LLC when the state began accepting applications June 7.

When they applied for the license, Crites said everyone in town had no issues, and the company was “forthcoming and open” about the process with city officials.

Crites said the dispensary initially came to the city under the medicinal license because it was the only one available when ACA first opened, but the facility was designed with intentions of a large-scale operation.

Council originally passed legislation banning its sale in a 4-2 vote in July, despite statewide legalization of adult-use cannabis, through the language in a statewide issue approved by voters in November 2023 to legalize adult recreational marijuana including a provision allowing communities to prohibit the location of businesses that sell it.

That same issue enabled dispensary operators and owners to attempt to place it on the ballot for voters in that community to decide via petition initiative, which is what Crites did.

A Cut Above went on to collect 194 signatures, nearly twice the required 100 to get the issue on the ballot as a referendum.

Crites said the results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections showing the issue passed with 66% for and 34% against reflected the city’s wants and needs for them.

Crites said they “definitely” wanted to stay in Hubbard and wanted to make things work.

Crites said the last 48 hours have been crazy for them, as their phones have been “ringing off the hook” with people asking when they can buy.

“We’ve had people pull into the parking lot area, come in and say, ‘Hey, I voted for you guys.’ People are driving by honking horns,” Crites said. “We’ve had people, you know, just drive into like, ‘Hey, just wanted to tell you that we’re so proud, thank you for doing what you did and, you know, helping us to get our voice’s heard.’ A lot of just positive things in our direction.”