A small, family-owned company from Cambridge that sells medical marijuana is looking at Richland County as a possible location for a new retail facility.
Bryan Hennessey of Backroad Wellness recently told trustees of Madison Township, northeast of Mansfield, that the company is allowed to open three more locations under recent legislation governing recreational marijuana.
Pat and Deb Hennessey of Zanesville opened Backroad Wellness in Cambridge last year. It is the first and only medical marijuana dispensary in Guernsey County. They also have dispensaries in Cambridge, New Boston and Lima.
“We’re looking at a place to put them and are looking at a building in your township,” Hennessey said of the possible expansion into Madison Township. “We want to see how everybody thought about that and if we’re going to have any support and to answer any questions.”
Backroad Wellness stores average about $250,000 in sales per month and generate $16,000 to $17,000 per month in sales tax, according to Bryan Hennessey, son of Pat and Deb Hennessey. Although he did not say exactly where, he told the trustees the company is looking at a site where an existing building would be razed and a new 4,000-square-foot facility would be constructed.
“If we have community support, when June comes we’ll submit our applications to the state and if they approve our location we can start our preparations,” Hennessey said.
Trustees’ Chairman Tom Craft pointed out that Madison has a resolution that “in a nutshell” outlaws any medical marijuana facilities in the township. “That was signed into effect before all this other (state legislation), so I need to get this to my legal counsel,” Craft said. “So we cannot make any kind of legal decision on it until they see if this resolution is still legal.”