MILLBURY – Lake Township Trustees don’t care if you grow a few marijuana plants in your backyard, but don’t think about opening a storefront to sell cannabis.
The township trustees have passed a resolution prohibiting cannabis operators, retail dispensers and medical marijuana growers within the unincorporated area of the township.
Trustees at Tuesday’s meeting cited the Ohio Revised Code that allows the prohibition of marijuana growers and sellers.
“You can grow your own,” said Mark Hummer, who is township administrator as well as chief of police
One single adult can grow six plants, two adults in a household can grow 12, he said.
The township had to act before Issue 2, which legalized marijuana in Ohio, went into effect Thursday.
“The voters have spoken, and we will comply with whatever comes down the pike,” Hummer said.
From what he’s seen in Michigan, other than they’re on every corner, storefronts are not creating issues, he said.
But this is the opportunity the township has to prohibit retail, cultivation or processing operations prior to the state law going into effect, he said.
“I just think the township should promote a healthy lifestyle,” said Trustee Richard Welling.
Lake Schools may not be too happy with us saying it is OK to allow dispensaries in the township, he said.
“It’s legal and everybody in here can grow their own, but there’s going to be plenty of spots (elsewhere to buy it)” he said.
“To each their own, I guess,” said Trustee Lorie Davis.
Township resident Bill Keller said if you are buying cannabis from a legal establishment, it’s not going to be laced with fentanyl compared to buying it off the street.
Melanie Bowen-Greenwald pointed out it is still illegal to purchase marijuana in Michigan and bring it across the border into Ohio.
“If you can find another community that has retail you can certainly purchase it there,” she said.
Bowen-Greenwald was elected a trustee in November. She previously served as a trustee from 1998-2015.
Welling said the resolution can be repealed if a top-notch firm comes in.
The resolution passed 2-1, with Davis voting no.
“I truly feel there’s no reason for stopping business,” she said. “I just don’t believe in not allowing someone to have a dispensary here.”
The resolution only impacts the unincorporated area of the township.
Trustees also:
• Learned free wood chips are available at the road department. Call 419-836-1143 to schedule pick up times.
• Approved a payment to TMACOG of $2,804 for membership fees for 2024.
• Approved a payment to Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation of $41,159.
Hummer said that was an estimate, but he wanted to take advantage of a 2% discount with early payment.
• Paid $2,227.75 to Jay’s Body Shop, Millbury, for bumper and rail repairs on the township’s oldest ambulance.
• Paid $1,350 to Advanced Property eXposure Inc., Ogdensburg, New York, for software renewal for the fire department.
• Hired Kari Bennett as a paramedic at a rate of $20.06 per hour and assigned to Station 28; Dylan Goss and Drew Stockwell, both students at Penta Career Center, as firefighters at a rate of $10.10 per hour and assigned to Station 27; and Sean Gollehon as a part-time EMT at a rate of $17 and assigned to Station 26.
