'I would have shut it down': Critics don't want new marijuana dispensaries in Cuyahoga Falls

As another medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open in Cuyahoga Falls, some residents are urging city leaders to stop others from coming to town.

Several residents attended Monday night's City Council meeting to ask for a ban on any new marijuana dispensaries within Cuyahoga Falls.

The latest marijuana dispensary is expected to open at 1682 State Road, which formerly housed Cashland, a personal loan and cash checking business.

The planned dispensary is owned by FRX Health, which has cultivation and processing operations in East Liverpool and in Farrell, Pennsylvania. FRX Health also has a dispensary in East Liverpool and expects to open another location in Elyria.

According to information from the company's website, the Cuyahoga Falls location is expected to open sometime this fall.

It will be the city's second dispensary, joining Curaleaf on Buchholzer Boulevard.

Some residents have set up a petition to ban future marijuana dispensaries, citing concerns about substance abuse, the impact on home values and the risk to children and teens.

Councilwoman Meika M. Penta, who represents Ward 3 where the dispensary is located, said she, too, has concerns about the facility and the compatibility with the neighborhood

"If the decision were mine to make, I would have shut it down," Penta said. "I did not want nor invited this particular kind of business in our area. The challenge we face as a city is that medical marijuana dispensaries were legalized by the state of Ohio, and this location has followed all applicable laws so far."

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issues licenses to allow dispensaries to operate and sets limits on the number in each region.

Penta said she plans to work with the city to explore available options to address the residents' concerns.

Representatives from FRX Health could not be reached for comment.

New Cuyahoga Falls medical marijuana dispensary awaiting operating license

Edward Sturkey, a Cuyahoga Falls resident who lives near the dispensary, said he has concerns about marijuana dispensaries based on his background in the banking business and his job as a firefighter/paramedic.

He said banks typically don't give loans to marijuana dispensaries because of the federal government's position that marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is still technically illegal.

"Banks won't make loans to them due to this," he said.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule 1 drugs are those with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Along with marijuana, other Schedule 1 drugs include LSD, heroin, Ecstasy and peyote.

Sturkey said as a paramedic, he has had to pick up and transport many individuals suffering from drug addiction.

Sturkey also accused medical marijuana companies of trying to attract children and teens into using their products.

"There's a reason why many of these products are sold as gummies and candies," he said.

Sturkey also compared marijuana dispensaries to payday loan businesses.

"These were not illegal, but they were immoral," Sturkey said of payday loan companies. "They preyed on the most vulnerable."

Because of council's actions, Sturkey said, payday loan companies no longer exist on State Road. In 2017, City Council backed a state bill to limit interest charged by payday lenders.

He urged the city to take similar action regarding the medical marijuana business in preventing more marijuana dispensaries from coming into the city.

Sturkey said he was not against the use of marijuana products for medical purposes but worried about the impact having a dispensary would have on drug use in children.

FRX Health still awaiting final operating license for Cuyahoga Falls location

Not all who spoke at Monday's meeting were opposed to the medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cuyahoga Falls resident Tom Sullivan said that the state permits the medical use for marijuana, and may possibly permit the recreational use of marijuana if Issue 2 is approved by voters in the general election. Issue 2, if passed Nov. 7, would allow for the cultivation, regulation, sale and possession of cannabis products for adults 21 and older.

"Nobody was hiding anything," Sullivan said to residents who said they were taken by surprised. "I knew this was coming in eight months ago."

He said that residents have been calling for more businesses to come to that part of State Road. "But now you are complaining."

The city published an FAQ on its website addressing residents' questions and concerns about the facility. According to information from the city, FRX Real Estate Holding Company of Ohio LLC purchased the property on June 10, 2022, for $280,000. Because the business is less than 8,500 square feet, it did not need approval from the city's planning commission or City Council.

"Our local zoning laws and regulations at that location allow retail sales and we currently have no legal grounds to stop it," the online FAQ stated. "This medical facility is also legally permitted under state law. The owners have chosen this location to open a legally operating business."

According to information from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, a license was issued to FRX Health on May 17, 2022, and has an expiration date of Dec. 31.

Darcy Moulin, an attorney with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, said that FRXHealth was part of the second round of requests for applications. The business has until Dec. 31 to complete additional requirements for the Division of Marijuana Control, which will do a final inspection of the facility.

Once FRX Health gets the final OK from the division, it will receive a certificate of operation.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thbeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Critics ask Cuyahoga Falls to ban new medical marijuana dispensaries