The Wickliffe Committee of Council recently recommended to City Council members that they allow a maximum of one non-medical adult use cannabis dispensary in the city. Kate Ols, executive vice president of revenue at The Botanist, informed the committee recently about the mission of Acreage, her parent company. According to Ols, Acreage has locations in 10 states, including nine cultivation and processing facilities, as well as 250 dispensaries. Additionally, The Botanist has five locations in Ohio, which include Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus and Wickliffe. The Wickliffe location was established in 2019 at 30133 Euclid Ave. Non-medical, or adult use, sales began back in August. Per a discussion over the summer, The Botanist currently has a conditional use permit for the sale of medical marijuana at their facility, said Councilperson Randy Gerhardstein. He previously inquired if it reapplied to the Planning Commission for the change in their permit to include the adult use, or recreational, in addition to the medical permit they already have. Law Director Jeremy Iosue  noted they hadn’t and may not have to do so, which led to the committee meeting for further discussion. According to Iosue, the city still has an option to deny the recreational use. Gerhardstein inquired if they are currently selling to recreational use customers, and Iosue said they are and by current state law, they are allowed to do so. However, Wickliffe can still decide to prohibit this, Iosue said, and was the topic of discussion at the committee meeting so council could make an informed decision about that they would like to do. This could also eventually go to the ballot for just Wickliffe. Ols believes the split will be 40% medical, serving approximately 6,300 people, and 60% non-medical, approximately 4,500 new customers in a 30-day period. “There are currently 134 operating dispensaries, approximately 200 additional retail licenses will be issued, three to four additional licenses are expected to be issued between Lake, Geauga and Portage counties and any new dispensaries will have at least a mile buffer from existing locations,” Ols said. Council President Edward Levon inquired if Ols was confident in the size of its building since they are seeing more patrons. She stated there was no need for expansion as visitors are only there briefly and do not window shop. Iosue informed the committee that council would have three options. They could prohibit non-medical sales in the city through an ordinance; do nothing and allow The Botanist and other dispensaries to open up sales in the city; or limit the number of dispensaries in the city via an ordinance. Gerhardstein noted that when the state voted to legalize marijuana in 2023, Wickliffe voters passed it at a rate of 61% and that every precinct in the city voted in favor of approving the legalization. Councilperson Tom Thielman asked for confirmation on the mile buffer between future potential dispensaries and The Botanist, as well as inquired if there were limitations between dispensaries, schools and churches. The one-mile buffer between dispensaries was confirmed, but Iosue plans to see if this applies to other locations. Councilperson Matthew Jaworski expressed he would like to have The Botanist appear in front of the Planning Commission again to discuss their parking situation since there is a potential increase in traffic. Gerhardstein agreed and stated that he re-read the meeting minutes from when they originally appeared in front of the Planning Commision, and the biggest discussion point was the parking. Gerhardstein inquired about an updated conditional use permit as if it included an updated conditional use permit, the city would need to host a public hearing. Mayor Joe Sakacs informed the committee that a second party wants to open a dispensary in Wickliffe and with a focus on filling buildings with employees, and revenue, he recommended the city allow two dispensaries. Gerhardstein stated he was only good with one. Thielman prefers the city didn’t have any, but would be okay with one. Council members James Bala and Maria Salotto both supported marijuana sales in the city. Levon also stated he preferred to start with one dispensary and if council wanted to revisit in the future, they could notify the chapter to allow additional locations in the city going forward. Ols also explained the tax dollars that would benefit Wickliffe, which includes a 10% excise tax on non-medical cannabis sales and 36% of the 10% excise tax would go to the city. This would result in an estimated $17,500 per month or $210,000 annually in tax revenue, she said. Wickliffe Police Chief Jonathon Bush’s position on the sale of recreational marijuana in the city is “dead set against it,” noting that he also does not see preying on people’s addictions and using the tax crutch as the excuse for it. Sakacs expressed how alcohol was also previously illegal and now it’s legal up, and down the street. “More families have been ruined by alcohol and yet, you can buy it in almost every store in this city,” he said, noting that gambling is also legal. Salotto added she looks at is as finding a safer place for those who wish to buy cannabis and sees the problems associated with buying it on the street. In regard to operations and security, Ols said they have had less than one security incident per year since inception. “There are 65-plus cameras and access-controlled doors with 24/7 remote access by the state,” she said. “Product is stored in a vault, no product displays are visible from outside of the building and an ID check against a database is in use at the front door for all guests.” Additionally, overflow parking is available across the street in the shopping center. The Botanist currently employs more than 30 full-time employees.