Ohio cities consider pot businesses, local implications

It will be two years before qualifying Ohioans can buy medical marijuana from dispensaries, but some communities are putting a stop to the practice before it’s started.

A number of Ohio municipalities are taking steps to ban marijuana-related businesses since House Bill 523 passed in June, allowing businesses to cultivate, process and sell the drug for medical use under certain regulations.

Those regulations, however, have yet to be set and won’t be instituted for another two years. House Bill 523 only created a framework, the rest of the details — including how to become a registered and licensed dispensary and how much it will cost — still are being determined.

Some restrictions already are in place for retail dispensaries, which are prohibited from being located within 500 feet of schools, churches and public libraries, playgrounds and parks. Cities and townships can adopt further regulations to limit the number of dispensaries or ban them altogether.

Read more: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/08/28/ohio-cities-consider-pot-businesses-local-implications/89507386/