The city of Beavercreek is considering a permanent ban on medical marijuana. The city council is set to debate whether to move forward with a ban Monday afternoon at a work session that began at 5 p.m. No vote is expected during the work session.
The council takes up the proposed ban despite the state's previous approval of a medical marijuana dispensary slated for location within city limits.
Officials tell WYSO that dispensary -- Harvest of Ohio LLC., to be located at 4370 Tonawanda Trail, Beavercreek -- is expected to operate in the city regardless of whether the council enacts a permanent ban.
The business would be the only such dispensary to open in Greene County.
Council members are expected to decide annual licensing fees for the dispensary at a special meeting immediately following Monday's work session.
A six-month moratorium on medical marijuana businesses enacted earlier this year by the Beavercreek city council expires in July.
Ohio Board of Pharmacy officials approved 56 medical marijuana dispensary locations across the state, including several Miami Valley locations in Dayton, Riverside, Beavercreek, Lebanon and Cincinnati.
The state board says they received more than 376 dispensary applications since 2016, when Gov. John Kasich signed into law the state’s medical marijuana program.
Dispensaries have six months to establish their business and demonstrate their readiness to operate under state guidelines.
The Ohio Department of Commerce said earlier this month that none of the 25 state-licensed cultivators will have medical marijuana ready to dispense by the Sept. 8 deadline set by the state, citing delays due to weather and facility construction issues.
Cultivators received their provisional licenses in November. DOC officials say only one cultivator has undergone the required state inspection.
Officials did not indicate when the state medical marijuana program will be fully functioning.
