Pictured, from left, are village of Bethel Fiscal Officer Bill Gilpin, Jayme Eldridge, Council member Stephanie Ross, Council member Ron Dunn, Council member Brenda Woodward, Village Administrator Holly Issacs, Mayor Jay Noble, Council member Joel Ausman, Council member Dawn Thompson, Chief of Police Chad Essert.

Pictured, from left, are village of Bethel Fiscal Officer Bill Gilpin, Jayme Eldridge, Council member Stephanie Ross, Council member Ron Dunn, Council member Brenda Woodward, Village Administrator Holly Issacs, Mayor Jay Noble, Council member Joel Ausman, Council member Dawn Thompson, Chief of Police Chad Essert.

<p>Pictured is village of Bethel Council member Ron Dunn.</p>

Pictured is village of Bethel Council member Ron Dunn.

On the evening of Jan. 21, village of Bethel Mayor Jay Noble opened the Bethel town hall meeting, in council chambers, at the municipal building, by stating the purpose. He said they were gathered to hear feedback from villagers regarding the allowing, prohibiting, or limiting medical, adult (recreational) dispensary use in the village of Bethel.

The present council members included Stephanie Ross, Ron Dunn, Dawn Thompson, Brenda Woodward, and Joel Ausman. Also present were Chief of Police Chad Essert, Fiscal Officer Bill Gilpin, Village Administrator Holly Issacs, and Jayme Eldridge who is in training for Fiscal Officer when Gilpin retires at the end of March.

Dunn pulled up a map of Bethel aid the state regulations specify that cannabis can not be manufactured, grown, or sold within 500 feet of the property line of schools, daycare centers, churches, public parks, public playgrounds, and libraries. Dunn said all of the above exist in abundance in the village. In addition, whatever properties are owned by the above entities, are also subject to the 500-yard rule. For instance, an example would be a rectory or house owned by a church. From what Dunn could see, there probably is only one and a half blocks in the village that could possibly qualify for a dispensary to be built.

Jeff Thompson, a village resident, said he wants what is best for the village and he looks at risk versus rewards when making a decision. He asked what would be the monetary rewards to the village in having a dispensary, and what were the risks to the village. There were mixed reactions to the question regarding rewards. Some said there is no fiscal gain to the village and others said there is a percentage that can be allocated back to the community.

Attendee Ron Bulow was very passionate about voicing his opposition to a dispensary in the village. He said the cannabis of today has 33 percent TCH and therefore is more potent than the cannabis of the past.

His biggest concerns are the children and grandchildren who may find cannabis edibles lying about and end up overdosing.

Bulow also talked about the possible need for more police hiring if a dispensary were in town, which would add costs to the village budget.

Concern over parking was also voiced. Parking is already at a premium in the village, and questions arose as to whether or note the village wants increased traffic, as folks from surrounding townships would most likely travel to Bethel’s dispensary.

Ausman said whether to allow or restrict a dispensary should not be a moral decision based on the assumption that something is bad. He said there are a lot of things that are bad for us. For instance, he said, heart disease and diabetes are on the rise so should we ban alcohol, and fast food as well?

Thompson brought up the fact that 57 percent of the population voted in Nov 2023 to legalize cannabis in Ohio, while councilmember Ross said that does not necessarily translate to folks voting yes for a dispensary in their village.

Presently there are dual-use (medicinal and adult) dispensaries in Mt. Orab, Milford and Goshen.

Essert said since the passage of Ohio issue 2 in November 2023, Bethel and surrounding areas have reported a rise in OVIs (operating a vehicle impaired) due to cannabis. He said they deal more with cannabis-impaired driving than with alcohol-impaired driving. If officers have reasonable suspicion of drug involvement, they can bring the suspect to the station for blood and/or urine sampling.

Essert has talked to the police in Goshen, Mt. Orab, and Milford, and they have not seen an increase in cannabis-related OVIs, since the dispensaries have been in place, which has been approximately months at this point.

Current law allows the growth of six cannabis plants in a household per person and not to exceed 12 plants.

The council would like input from the villagers regarding their thoughts on having a dispensary in the village. The council plans to vote by a simple majority in favor or not in favor. The council members will take into account their constituents’ input and the input of their committees.

As of yet, nobody has approached the council inquiring about building a dispensary. Jeff Thompson suggested that council not make any decisions for now, but gather more information.

He would like to be more informed on this controversial topic. He too agrees that the cannabis of today is stronger. He would like the council to have more facts and figures regarding revenue, and state guidelines, which committee members said has been very sparse.

He would like the zoning checked as well since permitting or not permitting a dispensary might be a non-issue, if the zoning is not possible.

Jeff Thompson also asked the council if they could find out how busy the surrounding dispensaries are, and what issues, if any, are they noticing with dispensaries in their communities. He said that he would like the council to be more informed, so the villagers could be more informed.

Noble agreed that for now, they will have a moratorium on voting as they gather more information.

Below is information from additional resources:

As of Sept. 30, 2024, there are 124 dual cannabis dispensaries in Ohio. As of Dec. 19, 2024, more than 107 municipal corporations or townships have passed moratoriums prohibiting the building of dispensaries. Dispensaries also can not be built within 500 feet of an opioid treatment program.

From Aug. 2024, the month of the first dual dispensaries in Ohio, through Dec. 2024, the total sales in Ohio topped $240 million. The average dispensary totals $2 million in yearly sales, profiting approximately $240,000 a year for the owner, based on a 12 percent profit margin.

Only cash and debit cards are taken at dispensaries. Also, customers can order online from most dispensaries and have products delivered to their house.

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation: All sales from a dispensary are subject to a 10 percent excise tax and 5.75 percent state tax. The township would not receive any direct revenues from the taxes, however a certain percentage of the excise tax must be placed into a Host Community Cannabis Fund, which is intended to benefit townships and corporate municipalities with adult-use dispensaries, according to RC 3780.23; 36 percent to the Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Fund; 36 percent to the Host Community Cannabis Fund, 25 percent to the Substance Abuse and Addiction Fund; 3 percent to the Division of Cannabis Control and Tax Commissioner Fund

The application fee for a dispensary is $5,000, the license $70,000, and every two years, a renewal of $70,000 is required.

Start-up costs, including a structure built according to strict codes, and everything else needed to run the business, can easily reach $1,000,000 or more. The Division of Cannabis Control in Ohio licenses and regulates dispensaries. There are presently 24 states that have fully legalized medicinal and adult-use cannabis.

As to the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) levels, the Ohio Senate tried to lower the THC levels before the legalization took place but could not come to a consensus. Ohio House Bill 230, would allow police officers to do new fast result drug tests at the roadside.

Dr. Wendy Pomeranz, an emergency room doctor at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, reports a drastic increase in cannabis ingestion by children in the past five years. In 2024, more than 100 children under the age of six, were seen in the emergency room due to cannabis poisoning.

Pomeranz said children have become more exposed to cannabis since the legalization was passed in Ohio. She said kids are attracted, of course, to candy, gum, brownies, toaster pasries and the variety of appealing colorful wrappers, some even with cartoon characters. She says a typical cannabis ingestion for an adult is 5 to 10 milligrams. She said some of the gummy options contain more than 100 milligrams of cannabis. A concentration like that can make an adult sick, but that amount of poison can kill a child.

The council members have a presence on FaceBook, where their meetings are streamed live; visit https://bethel-oh.gov/government/village-council/. Villagers are encouraged to share their thoughts and views with council members.A