Map shows where cannabis sales prohibited by law, limiting dispensary options

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control this month awarded its first certificates of operation to cannabis growers and processors. Pure Ohio Wellness — a grower and processor with a facility in Springfield and medical dispensaries in Dayton and London — was among the few cultivators and processors to receive the state licensing.

For existing medical marijuana dispensaries that have applied for dual-use licenses, nothing will change. But businesses wanting to set up shop for recreational sales in the coming years may find there is limited space, specifically in cities, outside of prohibited zones, the Drug Policy and Enforcement Center found.

The Drug Policy and Enforcement Center, which is a part of the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, mapped out nearly 18,000 prohibited locations in the state.

This includes near 6,551 schools, 9,934 churches and 719 public library locations. Not included in the map are public playgrounds, which the study could not map, but Drug Policy and Enforcement Center researchers were able to identify more than 800 park locations.

On the local level, municipalities can also bar the sale of recreational marijuana within their borders.

The Drug Policy and Enforcement Center tracks recreational marijuana moratoriums in Ohio. As of this week, a total of 68 moratoriums are active throughout the state, according to the center.

Roughly 30% of these moratoriums are in this region, scattered from Troy to West Chester Twp. and from Eaton to Xenia.

The Division of Cannabis Control has not awarded any certificates of operation to dispensaries to begin selling non-medical cannabis as of this week. But 18 in the Dayton region have been awarded provisional licensing, a step necessary to complete requirements for a certificate of operation to begin selling recreational cannabis.

Division officials say there isn’t a day selected as the first day of recreational sale.

After the recreational marijuana initiated statute went into effect last year, many Ohioans 21 and over have been legally growing and possessing cannabis at home. But though adults can legally possess marijuana, they have nowhere to legally buy it.