Pubdate: Tue, 16 Aug 2016
Source: Dayton Daily News (OH)
Copyright: 2016 Dayton Daily News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/7JXk4H3l
Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/120
Author: Nick Blizzard

MIAMISBURG MAY JOIN BANS ON MEDICAL POT

Six-Month Measure Needed to Evaluate Issue, City Officials Say.

MIAMISBURG - Miamisburg is moving to become the latest Miami Valley 
community to place a temporary ban on medical marijuana.

The city is considering a six-month ban on issuing and processing 
"any permits allowing retail dispensaries, cultivators, or processors 
of marijuana" in the city, according to a proposed ordinance.

Last month Beavercreek City Council approved a similar measure while 
Troy voted in favor of a 180-day moratorium.

Those cities' actions and the measure before Miamisburg City Council 
tonight follow Gov. John Kasich's signing in June of a bill that 
allows medical marijuana to be prescribed for certain ailments.

As the state law goes into effect next month, Miamisburg officials 
want to determine if the city needs to adopt measures not outlined in 
how Ohio regulates the businesses, said Development Director Chris Fine.

"So what we're trying to do is put a moratorium in place to give us 
an opportunity to kind of wait and see what those regulations are 
that the state creates to see if we need to either create something 
similar or just adopt the state regulations," he said.

"It's new. We don't really know anything about them, how they're 
supposed to operate or anything like that," Fine added. "So we're 
trying to take a proactive measure to put a temporary hold in place 
at least here in Miamisburg so we can evaluate what kind of 
regulations the state's going to come up with."

If approved by council, the issue would take effect immediately, he said.

Passage of the Ohio medical marijuana law came after state voters 
rejected a ballot issue that would have legalized marijuana beyond 
medical use. Before the new law goes into effect, a temporarily ban 
in Miamisburg makes sense, according to a memo from Planner Ryan 
Homsi to City Manager Keith Johnson.

"It seems prudent to allow the staff of Miamisburg time to research 
the law in depth while also allowing staff to monitor what rules and 
regulations will be implemented by the state of Ohio and now such 
rules will impact" those seeking to do business in Miamisburg.

"The only ways to accomplish this," it adds, "is to either outright 
ban medical marijuana businesses from operating in the city through 
an amendment ..... or through a temporary moratorium."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom