CLEVELAND, Ohio - City Council voted Monday to approve new zoning requirements that will prevent sale of medical marijuana in about 95 percent of the city.
The legislation, approved 15-1, limits the location of marijuana dispensaries, cultivation sites, production and refining facilities and research sites.
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The balancing act council members are trying to perform is to tightly regulate the businesses without driving them out to the suburbs.
If that happens, the city would be cut out of potentially thousands of dollars in tax revenues from the new industry and some residents who will use medical marijuana would be denied access to the medical products for lack of transportation.
"Medical marijuana is happening," said Kerry McCormack, whose Ward 3 includes downtown, Ohio City and much of Tremont. "If the closest access to this for medicinal use ... is in Independence, for example, I know a lot of my residents won't be able to get there."
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