Porter Trustees ban medical marijuana businesses

The Porter Township Trustees took action on Monday evening to pass a resolution prohibiting any medical marijuana related businesses from locating in the unincorporated territory of the township, including Wheelersburg.

The exact wording of the resolution “prohibits cultivators, processors, or retail dispensaries licenses under Chapter 3796 of the Ohio Revised Code within the unincorporated territory of the township.”

While section 3796.29 of the ORC allows township trustees to adopt resolutions prohibiting these uses, it does not allow them to prohibit marijuana related research by public or private entities. The resolution passed by the trustees on Monday reflects this stipulation in a second section noting that it “is in no way intended to prohibit or limit research related to marijuana conducted at a state university, academic medical center, or private research and development organization as part of a research protocol approved by an institution review board or equivalent entity, upon notice, in writing, to the Porter Township Board of Trustees by such… organization that may be located in Porter Township, Scioto County, Ohio, in the future.”

The trustees explained that they were acting upon the issue now to be sure it was on the books before the September deadline for granting such site licenses by the state. They explained that after passing the resolution, they would send notice to the Scioto County Commissioners, and that they could then inform anyone applying for any such licenses in Porter Township that such actions were prohibited there, before they got any further into the process.

In other action, the trustees moved to set their budget meeting for Monday, July 3, at 4:30 p.m. They also moved to approve the employment of a part time EMT, approve payment of $10,060.94 to Vogel-Pohl for parts to repair the fire department ladder truck, approved payment of $16,201.04 to Republic Services Inc. for dumpsters used during the Spring cleanup, and to amend a resolution extending the time frame for removal of the township’s red N&W caboose by the Gallipolis Rail Road Freight Station Museum.

In other new business, the trustees approved the hiring of another round of certified lifeguards for the 2017 pool season, and to accept quotes for the replacement of a bronze plaque for Jamie Porter that had been damaged by a lawnmower blade. They approved the quote from Memorial Burial Park, at $365. They also approved a quote of $4,831 from J.L. Kline for crack filling, asphalt sealing, and restriping of the parking lots at the trustee’s office and community center parking lots, before adjourning into executive session to discuss compensation of employees.