Ohio marijuana dispensary group Amplify wants to open a new location in Painesville Township this year. The company is planning a dual-use medical and recreational dispensary for 2150 Mentor Ave., on a lot next to the upcoming Popeyes. Amplify Retail Director AJ Caraballo said that it is looking to open the store in late September or early October. The planned dispensary would include interior retail space and two drive-through lanes. Drive-through orders would be placed online ahead of time, and Caraballo said that there would be a set number of order slots because Amplify wants to avoid being a nuisance to the township. “Really excited about the drive-throughs,” he said. “We do have experience. We also have a location in Columbus, and we were one of the very early drive-throughs in the state.” Caraballo said that Amplify is the dispensary brand for parent company Buckeye Relief, which operates a cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Eastlake. He added that “a great majority” of the new store’s stock would come from Eastlake. Besides the proposed Painesville Township dispensary and the existing Columbus location, Amplify also operates stores in Bedford and Cleveland Heights. “It’s been pretty steady after the launch of adult-use,” Caraballo said. “It was really cool last August, being able to experience that in the state of Ohio, another step forward to destigmatize it.” Caraballo tied opening dispensaries in “normal retail areas” to those destigmatization efforts. “Nobody prefers to go to a liquor store that’s located in the back of an industrial area, right?” he said. “Part of destigmatizing it is having a very professionally run operation that’s a good member in the community, and we’ve been able to establish that with our other three locations.” Caraballo said that a “strong retail area” will be convenient for the company’s customers and patients. “We want to make sure that it’s on the way home from everything else that they’re normally doing,” he said. Painesville Township’s Zoning Commission approved a site plan and architecture review for the proposed dispensary at its March 10 meeting, and the township’s Board of Zoning Appeals approved conditional use and variance requests the next day. Township Zoning Director Sean Ischay said that no more township approvals are needed at this time. While the developers expect to open in late 2025, he added that a 2026 opening is most likely, with the date depending on county approvals and construction progress. The new dispensary would be Painesville Township’s second. The dual-use medical and recreational Bloom dispensary is located at 382 Blackbrook Road. The township trustees passed a resolution last summer permitting a maximum of two recreational cannabis facilities in the township. Its definition of recreational cannabis facilities includes adult-use marijuana dispensaries, cultivators and processors. “Very much looking forward to being able to open up in the township,” Caraballo said. “Sean and the township have been fantastic going through the process and we look forward to opening a very professional-looking building and being a good partner for the township.” ...read more read less