Madison trustees prohibit Marijuana dispensaries in the township
There will be no marijuana dispensaries in Madison Township.
The township trustees voted unanimously at their regular meeting on Monday to pass a resolution that prohibits “adult use cannabis operators and medical marijuana cultivators, processors and retail dispensaries in the unincorporated area of Madison Township.”
According to the resolution, the action was allowed under Ohio Revised Code section 3780.25, which involves adult use cannabis operators and was effective Dec. 7, 2023, and section 3796.29 involving medical marijuana, which was effective Sept. 8, 2016. Section 3780 and was part of State Issue 2 that Ohio voters approved last November.
Trustees began reviewing a township resolution involving marijuana after officials of Backroad Wellness of Cambridge, Ohio, told the board at its Feb. 5 meeting that the medical marijuana company was looking at Madison Township as a possible location for a new retail facility. Company officials said the firm was allowed to open three more locations under recent legislation governing recreational marijuana and was looking at an undisclosed site where an existing building would be torn down and a new 4,000-square-foot facility would be constructed.
“When these two gentlemen (Backroad Wellness officials) first came, I took the resolution that we had and I sent it to our township representative at the (Richland) County Prosecutor’s Office. She sent it back to me with that resolution and said if we adopt a resolution we adopt that resolution,” said Trustee Tom Craft.
During a general public comment period that was held before the resolution was considered on the agenda, the board heard from Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Steve McKinley, who spoke against the sale of recreational marijuana in Madison Township. As judge, he said his work involves helping young people make good decisions regarding what they are doing in life, whether it is in school, staying way from trouble and being good people.
“I find the idea of a recreational cannabis dispensary works at cross purposes with the purpose of juvenile court,’ McKinley said. “I’m there trying to help kids make good decisions and tell them this is something they shouldn’t do. It basically affects your ability to think. A lot of the cases I get involve kids who basically have their judgment impaired because they’re smoking weed.”
As a citizen, the judge said he does not want the township working against the efforts he is making. He also said he has seen presentations where people try to confuse recreational marijuana with medical marijuana to justify its use.
“If it’s anxiety or depression or something of that nature, those have not been shown to be legitimate uses by the state medical board for medical use,” McKinley explained.
Also speaking on the marijuana issue was Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon, who said he is “fully against” recreational marijuana, noting that he believes marijuana is a “gateway” drug. He also pointed out that THC levels in marijuana have jumped from 3% when he was young to more than 20% now and that the local revenue received from the sale tax on marijuana “is not worth the price.”
A campaign stop
Sheldon attended the Madison Township meeting to promote his campaign for re-election. He is seeking his seeking his sixth term in office in this month’s Republican primary election.
Sheldon told the group that the sheriff’s department is the best equipped it’s ever been with new cruisers, new MARCS (Multi Agency Radio Communications System) radios and a new MARCS tower, a new 9-1-1 call center, a new armored vehicle for the county SWAT unit and is working to obtain new body cameras for deputies. He also said he is working with the local mental health board to deal with drug and mental health issues in the jail and meets weekly to discuss issues with local police chiefs.
“If there is an incident in this county, every police chief and the sheriff’s office are responding together. We plan together,” Sheldon said.
Fire chief gets a pay raise
In other business, Madison Trustees approved a 5% pay raise for township Fire Chief Ken Justus following an executive session at the end of the regular agenda. The increase puts Justus’ salary at $77,400 with his contract to be “revisited” in 2025.
Trustees also made a “minor” change in the chief’s vacation schedule and added one paid holiday to bring the number to 11, the same as department firefighters.
