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Hamilton residents press council to lift ban on marijuana businesses; staff to brief ordinance review commission May 14
Summary
Several residents urged Hamilton City Council to lift the city's ban on marijuana businesses and asked that a share of local excise tax revenue fund parks. City staff said it will update the Ordinance Review Commission on May 14 and cautioned any change be carefully vetted amid litigation in a neighboring jurisdiction.
Several residents urged Hamilton City Council on an open-comment agenda to lift the city's ban on marijuana businesses and to consider earmarking part of local excise tax revenue from adult-use sales for parks and conservation.
David Stark, a downtown resident and organizer of the Hamilton Can Cannabis campaign, said it had been "some 533 days since the citizens of Ohio voted overwhelmingly in support of legalizing marijuana," and asked council to "lift this ban on marijuana businesses within our city limits." Stark spoke with several supporters present, including Candace White of the Hamilton Juneteenth Celebration Committee and Cassie Stevens, who told council she endorses the petitioners.
The request moved beyond calls for lifting the ban to a specific funding proposal: speakers asked that a percentage of the municipal share of the state excise tax on adult-use sales be directed to the Hamilton Parks Conservancy to support parks and tree and habitat work. Cassie Stevens said she wanted to see the revenue "give back to mother nature" and highlighted work the conservancy has done without increased city funding since 2015.
City staff provided a procedural update later in the meeting. The city manager said prohibitions on medical marijuana businesses date to 2015 and that a local prohibition enacted ahead of the 2023 statewide adult-use ballot measure remains in force. He told council staff had briefed the Ordinance Review Commission in February and would return with additional information, including zoning and business regulation implications, at a special Ordinance Review Commission meeting on May 14. The manager cautioned that a neighboring community is defending litigation tied to its own change in policy, and said Hamilton intends to "thoroughly vet" any recommendation before it reaches council.
No formal vote or ordinance amendment was taken at the meeting. Speakers framed their remarks as public comment and asked council members to place the item on a future agenda so members of the public can hear where each councilor stands.
The council did not take action on the substance of the request during the meeting; staff indicated an administrative study and an Ordinance Review Commission update are forthcoming.
