FINDLAY, Ohio (WTVG) – Voters in Ohio may have legalized recreational marijuana, but still it is up to the individual municipalities whether they want to let people sell it.

Findlay and Perrysburg are in the middle of deciding whether to allow dispensaries in their cities.

Tuesday night, person after person stood before Findlay City Council, speaking about a hot-button issue: should Findlay clear the way for dispensaries to set root in the city?

Council was set to hold the third and final reading and vote on the matter, but ultimately postponed the vote.

“First time we’ve ever had any attendance at a city council meeting like this regarding the cannabis thing,” said Dennis Hellmann, Findlay City Council Member for Ward 2.

Residents and city leaders discussed the ordinance for about forty minutes.

The ordinance is focused on zoning – planning where dispensaries could go. Residents were concerned about the proposed zones near Liberty Benton Local Schools and I-475.

Even though marijuana dispensaries are not permitted to sell to people under the age of 21, some residents and school officials were concerned that children would still find a way to access cannabis. Others did not want to see dispensaries in their area.

Council said if a dispensary-owner wanted to come to Findlay, they would have to go through the proper channels and hearings to be approved. The city would have discretion.

On the state level, Ohio law restricts dispensaries from being within 500 feet from a school. The same distance applies to any church, public library, public playground, public park, or an opioid treatment program.

Given the concerns brought up, council members decided the issue needed more time to be discussed. It will be brought up again at the next council meeting.

Hellmann said it is also possible to change the proposed zoning districts laid out in the ordinance to keep dispensaries away from areas residents brought up.

“Maybe we can amend those boundary lines a little bit to accommodate some of the concerns that were expressed here,” Hellman said.

Most points brought up were against dispensaries, but positive improvements noted were tax benefits and medical-use marijuana access for those facing illness.

Over in Wood County, Perrysburg City Council held their second reading for legislation related to allowing dispensaries in the city.

After the third and final reading, it will be put to a vote.

Both Findlay and Perrysburg are set to vote on dispensaries at their next regular meeting on March 18.

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