On October 18, 2021, four and a half years after Euclid City Council passed legislation that permitted medical marijuana cultivation and dispensaries in limited areas of the city, Council approved amending the city’s Zoning Code to expand where dispensaries can be located. The code amendment permits the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in commercial and industrially zoned districts, and aligns Euclid’s code with the policies created by the State.

There are 58 medical marijuana dispensary locations operating in Ohio and soon the state will award up to 73 additional licenses. The closest location for the nearly 500 active Euclid patients with medical marijuana prescriptions is in Lake County. This is followed by two dispensaries in Downtown Cleveland, two in Lakewood, and one in Garfield Heights. Currently, these are the only five operating in Cuyahoga County (NE District 2) with the State increasing this to seven.

         
The approved code amendments are in line with what the above-referenced cities have previously passed. Establishing code based on Ohio’s policies allows for more efficient enforcement of any selected properties. The one major difference in what the state requires and what council approved is that instead of there being a 500-foot buffer from any licensed dispensary, the parcel boundary of any school, church, public playground, library or park, and community addiction services providers, the proposed amendment extends this to a 1,000-foot buffer.

To obtain a license, prospective operators were required to submit their application to the State by November 18. The applications included documentation from the city’s Zoning Commissioner, stating the proposed location meets the requirements of the city as well as the state. Potential operators submitted 60 applications to the Zoning Department before the state’s due date – most of the proposed locations being on Lakeland Boulevard and St. Clair Avenue.

The State Board of Pharmacy, using a point-based system, will condense the applications to those who meet their criteria. A lottery will then be conducted to determine which qualifying applicants will be awarded a license. The decisions are anticipated to occur in the first quarter of 2022.

For additional information regarding the State of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program, please visit: https://medicalmarijuana.ohio.gov/