HAMILTON, Ohio — Hamilton city council is set to vote Wednesday on a pair of ordinances that would pave the way for cannabis dispensaries to open in the city for the first time since Ohio legalized recreational cannabis.
The city has had a moratorium on dispensaries in place since just after Ohio voters approved recreational marijuana use in November 2023. One of the proposals would create a framework for how dispensaries apply to operate in the city and where.
The ordinance does two key things: it updates the city's zoning code to define where dispensaries could operate, and it establishes a conditional use application process that includes public hearings and community input.
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Under the proposal, dispensaries would not be permitted within 1,000 feet of schools or child care centers, or within 500 feet of libraries. They would only be allowed to operate in two of the city's commercial zoning districts and be excluded from operating within any of Hamilton's three historic districts.
Lauren Nelson, Hamilton's planning director, said the restrictions were shaped by extensive research and conversations with other communities that already have dispensaries operating.
"What has informed this process is a lot of due diligence and research on staff's end in terms of best practices from a zoning perspective," she said. "Also, communication with other communities that have dispensaries."
Nelson said the conditional use process means no dispensary would be permitted anywhere in the city by right. Any business would need to submit an application, go before the planning commission and, ultimately, city council. Public notices would also be sent out to property owners within 500 feet of a proposed location.
A second, parallel piece of legislation is also on Wednesday's agenda. That measure would lift Hamilton's existing moratorium on dispensaries and update the city's business code. Both pieces must pass together for dispensaries to legally operate in Hamilton.
"Should council be approving the zoning, then they also need to sort of approve this secondary piece of legislation, which allows this in our business code and lifts the current moratorium," Nelson said.
The conversation about cannabis dispensaries in Hamilton has been ongoing for several years, dating back to when adult-use cannabis was approved at the state level. Nelson said the more specific zoning work began after council and the city's Ordinance Review Commission decided to consider whether to allow dispensaries.
Wednesday's city council meeting takes place at 6 p.m. in the city council chambers on High Street.
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