FAIRBORN, Ohio (WKEF) — Fairborn could join the growing list of cities that have put moratoriums in place to pause the business side of recreational marijuana. The city council had a discussion about it on Tuesday, Jan. 2. During the work session, leaders expressed that they were open to the idea but tonight was just the first step.
The members of the city council decided they would like to gather more information. They will revisit this issue next month at their next working session. At that time, they will continue their discussion before they put something on the agenda that would actually be voted on.
“We want to make sure that we look at it very carefully. We want to make sure that we are following guidelines. Again, like all the other communities, we are waiting to see what those specific guidelines are from the state of Ohio,” Fairborn Mayor Daniel R. Kirkpatrick said.
If city council leaders decide to enact a moratorium, it would be on the growing, processing and selling of recreational marijuana. So, applications for permits to grow or sell it and rezoning applications would not be accepted while the moratorium would be in place. It would do nothing to prohibit the use of it, as that was legalized with the passage of Issue 2.
Questions from council members came up about how flexible the moratorium would be if they put one in place. Some members wanted to know if the length of the proposed moratorium could be adjusted if the state moved faster or slower in setting regulations.
Some specific questions about dispensaries came up, but there were not any questions about facilities that would grow it. Kirkpatrick said he anticipates that will come up in later discussions.
“This whole area, Bath Township, Fairborn, Greene County has a lot of agriculture, so we expect that there may be some efforts to have a marijuana growing program,” said Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick said that is another area that they need state guidance on, and they will look at what surrounding communities do.
A moratorium would help the city buy time until the state puts some regulations in place, which would give city leaders some clarity to work with. That is a big reason, Mayor Peggy Lehner, Kettering’s mayor said her city put a nine-month moratorium in place.
“If you sell it, where you sell it, how much you sell it for, who grows it, how much profit can they make […] That will be largely steered by what the state chooses to do because we really don’t want a hodge-podge of rules across the state, so we will all be looking to the state. They haven’t done anything yet,” said Lehner.
Lehner added that none of those stipulations were covered in Issue 2. She also said Kettering enacted a moratorium when medical marijuana was legalized in 2016, so this is nothing new for the city to do.
For the cities that have already passed these moratoriums, it allows them to pause on rezoning and permit efforts temporarily. Some of the cities that have already passed moratoriums are Troy, Kettering, Vandalia, Centerville, Miamisburg, Washington Township, Springboro, Trotwood, Beavercreek, West Carrollton and Xenia.
Both Lehner and Kirkpatrick said that the main priority during this process is public safety, with both adding that they want to make sure everything is set up the right way.