BELLVILLE ― Voters in the Village of Bellville will decide whether or not to permit the operation of an adult cannabis dispensary within the village on Nov. 4 and direct Bellville Council to enact legislation to regulate the dispensary, according to the Richland County Board of Elections.
Marijuana became legal to use recreationally in Ohio in December 2023, a month after the ballot initiative passed. But legal sales at dispensaries didn’t start until Aug. 6, 2024.
Local community activist Ben Mutti said Bellville voters will determine if they want “mind-altering marijuana dispensaries” infiltrating their village or whether they want vibrant families prospering in safe neighborhoods.
Presently, 19 of 29 jurisdictions in Richland County prohibit commercial cannabis, Mutti said.
“Not only did Bellville voters overwhelmingly oppose legalizing weed in the 2023 state general election by a 60%/40% margin, last year weed proponents could not even locate a venue inside the Village of Bellville to host a presentation by a cannabis CEO,” Mutti said, adding the meeting was held in Butler. “This same CEO admitted in state testimony that dispensary owners ‘by the droves’ are supplying the illegal black market.”
In a March 7, 2023 Ohio Senate Committee hearing, Standard Wellness CEO Jared Maloof said, “In many states where there is an overproduction of supply, and businesses struggle, operators are faced with difficult choices. Some make good decisions and take capacity offline. Others make bad decisions and decide to sell into the illegal market … We have seen several times that otherwise good people who have never broken a law in their lives are deciding in droves to sell legally produced marijuana into the illegal market.”
“People are now realizing long-term human cost should never be sacrificed for short-term tax revenue. More than ever, voters are feeling the pinch when morally bankrupt leaders loan out their community’s future so these politicians can balance their quarterly budgets,” Mutti said.
Bellville Fiscal Officer Amanda Perry submitted the resolution, passed May 6, to the board of elections to have the electorate determine if adult-use cannabis should be permitted to operate within the Village of Bellville.
State law allows a municipality to regulate whether an adult-use cannabis operator can operate within the municipality.
An adult cannabis dispensary shall not be permitted in the village unless approved by a majority of electors, and the effective date of any approval shall be Jan. 1, 2026, according to the resolution on file at the board of elections.
Bellville Mayor Teri Brenkus said the Bellville Planning Commission recommended to council that the issue go on the ballot for voters to decide.
“Our residents pay for five levies. It is up to the residents to vote whether they want that revenue or not,” Brenkus said.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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