By Jane Welch-Maiolo
PERRYSBURG–With the city’s moratorium on marijuana set to expire in April, Perrysburg City Council is considering its next move.
At the March 3 meeting, Councilman Cory Kuhlman asked for direction from council.
“We’re trying to get a feel for what council wants us to present–a prohibition or a legalization measure,” he said.
He added, “I don’t know how you would like us to go about this discussion to be honest with you without legislation in front of us.”
Kuhlman is reluctant to postpone the legislation any longer, noting council has already placed a moratorium on the issue several times. “I don’t want to keep seeing this moratorium, and I will actually probably vote against it being extended this time.”
The councilman acknowledged his views on the subject. “I will continue to be supportive of recreational and medical adult needs of marijuana.”
Council President Rick Rettig said that regardless of how council feels, “ultimately we are going to have it around us.”
Both believe that permitting the medical only option will not work.
“I can understand why people would want to go with medicinal only, but considering it from a business environment, that would never end up getting built,” Rettig said, adding, “These types of businesses are not being constructed for medicinal only at this point.
He recommended that if council wants these types of businesses, they should consider a combination of medicinal and recreational.
“A vote for just medicinal would mean no marijuana because that is not where their business environment is,” Kuhlman said.
He noted that if the city were to allow retail sales it would be under a special approval usage, “so we would still have some authority throughout that process with things like signage and location. That was part of the package we were exploring previously.”
Both emphasized that some type of regulation is necessary. “We don’t want it to look like Monroe, Michigan,” Rettig said.
The current moratorium is set to expire in mid-April, explained Timothy Effler, law director. That may need to be extended to allow the prohibition language to move forward, he said.
Adding to the issue is a potential repeal in state law.
According to the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, last December, Ohioans for Cannabis Choice filed initial signatures to repeal recent changes to marijuana law enacted by Senate Bill 56.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost rejected the initial petition, but the group filed a new petition summary which was certified by the attorney general last month. The group has until March 20 when the law takes effect to collect 248,092 valid signatures.
