Plain City council advances 12-month moratorium on adult-use cannabis; some members urged full ban

Plain City Council voted to begin the process of extending a moratorium that would bar cultivation, processing and retail sale of adult-use cannabis in the village for 12 months while staff and council consider longer-term rules.

Council President Terry announced the first reading to extend the moratorium and to declare its urgency so it could take effect quickly; council discussed possible next steps including tabling or pursuing a full denial of adult-use cannabis businesses.

The council’s discussion focused on local character and public safety concerns, economic expectations and legal limits. Councilmember Ferguson urged the village to “be a leader” and consider denying adult-use cannabis outright to preserve Plain City’s family-friendly image, saying she doubted the projected tax revenue would justify the social or enforcement costs. She cited out-of-town examples and local traffic patterns in arguing that Plain City would not see the customer volumes some larger municipalities have used to justify revenue estimates.

Several council members noted state law limits on dispensary locations, including restrictions that effectively limit dispensaries to one per mile and setbacks from churches or parks; those restrictions figured in arguments about how many, if any, businesses could locate in or near the village. Council members also discussed timing: a declared emergency could make the moratorium effective immediately with a second reading to follow on Feb. 10, 2025, and the moratorium would include the state-mandated referendum period.

Police Chief McKee did not provide a formal recommendation during the discussion but was asked for perspective on experiences from nearby municipalities. Staff and council noted the moratorium would give the village time to decide whether to pursue zoning changes that would allow — or deny — cannabis businesses after the moratorium expired.

Council did not adopt a permanent ban at the meeting; instead the body voted to proceed with the moratorium and leave open the option of a later denial. Several members said the moratorium would prevent the item from remaining “in the air” while staff and council continue study and public input.

The motion for first reading was introduced and scheduled for a second reading; the council directed staff to prepare final language that would take effect under the declaration of urgency.