All Townships Should Enact a Moratorium on Processing and Sale of Recreational Marijuana
Editor’s Note: Alert Chardon citizen, Sharon Madger, has been following the progress of Geauga County Townships that are tackling the issue of marijuana processing facilities. She shared her findings with Fortify Geauga. Many thanks to Sharon for alerting us to this important issue!
Is your Township addressing this issue? Let us know in the Comments section below.
Background information: Issue 2 passed statewide in November, legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio. There are many details in the law that are being argued and amended in the Ohio Legislature, with final decisions expected in September 2024.
Townships can pass bans to keep processing and retail facilities from starting in their areas. There is a template available that Townships can use to draft this ban. Please contact your township office to find out if they have pursued this step. The template and an example from Chester Township are included at the bottom of this post. Sharon’s notes:
I contacted the county prosecutor’s office, and they emailed me a template that could be used for the Townships to create this temporary moratorium until the State of Ohio decides what the rules are going to be around the September timeframe. I emailed the template to our Hambden Trustees and got myself on the agenda last week to present this. The Hambden Trustees did not get a copy of the template in their email and these templates were supposed to have been sent out from the prosecutor’s office on or around Jan 10, 2024 to all of the townships. The Hambden Trustees were very open to doing this and told me they would draft a copy for the next meeting. I have included the template, and a copy of what Chester Township did.
Please contact your local Township Trustees and ask if they received the template document from the Prosecutor’s office. Urge them to draft their own document using the template below and present it at their next meting. Look in the Comments section at the bottom of this page for an example email you can send to your Trustees.
See also…
Cannabis Legalization Law Ballot Language
From the Geauga County Maple Leaf: Troy Trustees, Residents Clash Over Marijuana Processing
Newbury Township Update: Newbury Township Trustee Bill Skomrock confirmed Newbury DID receive instructions from the Prosecutor and they DID pass a moratorium.
Example email to send your Trustees/Council Members:
Hello there!
I have received information about Townships enacting bans or moratoriums on marijuana processing & sales businesses in the wake of the confusion over the recently passed Ohio Issue 2.
I’m writing to ask if [Township/Village/City] has pursued a ban, and whether our Geauga County Prosecutor sent [Trustees/Council Members] a template document regarding this. Please see the attached post from FortifyGeauga.org for details. It includes a downloadable template document and an example of how another Geauga County Township filled out the document.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
https://fortifygeauga.org/all-townships-should-enact-a-moratorium-on-processing-and-sale-of-recreational-marijuana
[Your Name]
[Township/Village/City] Resident