Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Marijuana Local Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council president acknowledges personal opposition but signals end to local moratoriums on marijuana businesses
Summary
Council President Steve Mayer said the state constitutional change legalizing recreational marijuana requires the city to consider competing regionally; he signaled he will not support further moratoriums while urging limits on density of dispensaries and concern for youth impacts.
Council President Steve Mayer addressed the council on Feb. 3 about the city's approach to recreational marijuana businesses following Ohio’s constitutional change.
Mayer said his personal view is that marijuana "is an extremely dangerous drug," particularly for young people, but he acknowledged voters had changed the state constitution and said the city cannot unilaterally ignore that change. He said he had previously supported moratoria but would not back further indefinite moratoria: "I voted for moratorium for a long time, but I'm not gonna vote for any more moratorium," he said.
Mayer urged the council to consider regional competitiveness when setting local policy so the city does not foreclose business opportunities or planning for where marijuana-related businesses could be permitted. He said he opposed unchecked density of retail outlets and hoped the city would avoid letting dispensaries cluster in every shopping center.
Other council members and members of the public asked whether discussions about marijuana had been held in public or in private. A council member said the planning commission had not had substantive public discussion and that prior agendas had tabled the item. Mayer responded that the council has a duty to remain competitive in the region despite his personal concerns and that individual council members could pursue moratoria if they wished.
No ordinance or formal policy change was adopted at the meeting. Council members asked that any future conversations about the topic occur in open session and that planning commission and council agendas include substantive review if the city is to consider rules for marijuana retail, cultivation or processing.
Mayer concluded by reiterating his concern about young people and marijuana use and by urging the council to balance public-health concerns with the legal and economic realities facing municipalities after the state constitutional change.
