GRANDVIEW

Proponents of the dispensary-ban referendum say city officials shouldn’t restrict patients’ access to medical marijuana that was prescribed for treatment.

“It struck me as odd that people would be so against something that would help people,” said resident Michelle Kozak, who spearheaded the push for the referendum.

Councilwoman Emily Keeler, who sponsored the ban legislation, said people who favor prohibiting dispensaries in the city have varied reasons for their support. Some people oppose medicinal marijuana in general, she said. For her, it’s a “space issue.”

“We’re less than 2 square miles,” she said. “It’s not the best use of space for our community. It doesn’t bring in a lot of money. We know that we’ll be taken care of by our surrounding communities. We already rely on them for regular pharmacies, for grocery stores, for hospitals.”

Elaborating on the economic impact, Keeler said the dispensary will only need to employ a “handful of retail employees, maybe a manager,” limiting the amount of income tax the city will collect.

Kozak disagreed, saying a dispensary is no different than Grandview’s other numerous small businesses that have just a few employees.

Grandview Heights’ medical marijuana restrictions came amid a wave of legislation enacted by other central Ohio suburbs such as Westerville and Dublin after the state of Ohio legalized medical marijuana in 2016. The state’s program has experienced repeated delays and was supposed to have been fully operational by now.

Locations of the state’s 56 dispensaries have been announced, including one that is essentially across the street from Grandview Heights city limits at 656 Grandview Ave. in Columbus. For now, this means Grandview residents won’t have far to travel to obtain medical marijuana.

But Councilman Steve Reynolds, who voted against Keeler’s legislation, said the referendum remains important because the dispensary is leasing space and a few years down the road it might want to move into Grandview to be closer to patients.

Keeler said the debate shows the “political process working.” “No matter what side of the issue you’re on, I think it’s great people got involved,” she said.