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STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (WJW) — An ordinance going before Strongsville City Council members at their Monday, March 18, meeting would prohibit adult-use marijuana businesses from operating in the city.
The measure bans adult-use cannabis cultivators, processors and dispensaries and also establishes misdemeanor penalties for businesses caught in violation. The city’s planning commission signed off on the legislation in January, and it’s since had three public readings.
It’s now due for a public hearing on Monday, March 18, in the Mike Kalinich Sr. City Council Chamber inside the Strongsville Police Department, 18688 Royalton Road. Committee caucuses on proposed ordinances begin at 6:45 p.m., and the council meeting starts at 7 p.m.
The ordinance’s emergency clause means it will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds affirmative vote at the Monday meeting.
The state’s citizen-initiated statute to legalize adult-use cannabis — passed in November as Issue 2 — lets local governments decide whether to ban establishment of new cannabis operators within their borders but it doesn’t allow them to oust existing operators.
There are currently no cannabis operators in Strongsville, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program. But there are more than 100 dispensaries across Ohio, including 33 in Northeast Ohio.