Orange Village debates banning marijuana dispensaries after first reading of ordinance

Orange Village Council members and residents engaged in a lengthy public discussion on Feb. 12 over a proposed local ordinance that would enact a new chapter regulating marijuana sales and — at council members’ direction — potentially prohibit dispensaries in the village.

The item, Ordinance 2025‑6, was presented for first reading. The ordinance would enact new chapter 743 (marijuana) of Title 1, business regulation, and establish local rules governing commercial marijuana activity. Council did not vote on the ordinance at the Feb. 12 meeting; it was read for the first time and scheduled for two additional readings in March.

Multiple residents addressed council during the public-comment period and again during the ordinance discussion. Dr. Will Goldman, a resident and physician who specializes in pediatrics and addiction medicine, urged caution and highlighted the higher concentrations of THC in contemporary cannabis products versus plant material from earlier decades. He expressed concern about impacts on developing brains and rising incidents of young children being poisoned by concentrated products.

Other residents, including Miki Beachler, said they do not want a dispensary in Orange Village and questioned the need for a dispensary, citing community character and the presence of a dispensary in nearby Woodmere. Jason Kiss, co‑chair of the village’s Arts & Culture Committee, and other speakers encouraged broader community engagement on the issue.

Council members discussed legal and regulatory constraints. One councilmember said she had spoken with an attorney at the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), who explained that Ohio has allotted slightly more than 300 dispensaries statewide and that regions, including Cuyahoga County, have been assigned totals with proximity rules. She said only about 20 dispensaries statewide remain available to select sites, and none of those remaining slots are in Cuyahoga County; the county allocation is capped for about 16 months. The councilmember said a dispensary could only come to Cuyahoga County if an existing licensee within the county sought to relocate.

Council members expressed differing views. Some said they favor a local prohibition to prevent a dispensary from locating in Orange Village; others argued that voters had approved state recreational legalization and that locally prohibiting sales appeared inconsistent with that result. Several council members urged residents to submit input to the council and to consult the DCC for factual information about licensing and safeguards used by regulated dispensaries, including product testing and labeling.

The ordinance will return for second and third readings at the first two council meetings in March. Council members and the mayor encouraged residents on both sides of the issue to contact council and attend the March meetings to offer comment.

Key next steps - Ordinance 2025‑6 returns for second and third readings at council meetings in March. - Council encouraged residents to provide written input and to review DCC contact information and regulations.

What was not decided - No vote was taken on whether to prohibit dispensaries; the council only completed the first reading and public comment. No formal direction to ban or permit sales was adopted on Feb. 12.