Ohioans voted to legalize recreational marijuana last November, but it wasn’t until this August that dispensaries were allowed to sell the substance to recreational users. While it has been legal to possess and consume marijuana since 30 days after Issue 2’s passage, the Athens community has been preparing for the start of recreational sales throughout the summer.
The Ohio legislature approved recreational sales beginning Aug. 6 with an extensive list of regulations, including a one-mile radius between dispensaries, a 2.5-ounce cannabis flower and a 15-gram cannabis concentrate limit. According to a previous Post report, the delay from the state has made implementing local regulations difficult.
As of an Aug. 19 city council meeting, the city of Athens has adopted the Athens Cannabis Ordinance, requiring all cannabis and tobacco establishments to be 500 feet from a school, public library, public playground, public park and church.
“We're talking about where lots of people gather, lots of people congregate including children, and this is an effort to protect those individuals,” Councilmember Alan Swank, D-4th ward, said. “This would bring (the ordinance) not in compliance, but would make it consistent with the existing ORC.”
Swank added that the ordinance would also add cohesion between medical and recreational marijuana regulations at the city and state levels.
This is the city’s first legislative action on Issue 2; however, as home to the Cannabis Museum, it has held a series of educational events about the cultivation process. The museum will host the last segment of its five-part series on early harvesting practices on Sept. 25.
According to City Council Member At-Large Dr. Micah McCarey, events like these hosted by the Cannabis Museum recognize the agricultural strengths of Athens.
“The fact that Athens County voters, out of all the counties in Ohio, were most supportive of the legalization of recreational marijuana, I think that says something about our ability to leverage our strengths and interests to improve our socio-economic opportunities,” McCarey said.
*Preparation for recreational sales didn’t just come from the city. According to Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith, once marijuana became legal, his department began training its narcotics dogs off its indicators.
“When (dogs) detect narcotics, they get rewarded,” Smith said. “It's kind of a game to them…There's no reward for marijuana now, and now they don't detect it.”
Athens County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Deputy John Kulchar said a large part of this training is reenacting live calls to prepare the dogs for exposure better.
“We train our dogs in all the fields they are certified in, whether it be tracking, area searches, drug detection, apprehension work and obedience,” Kulchar said in an email. “Most of my drug cases are based off working with the ACSO Drug Task Force and being receptive to Athens county citizens that call in drug complaints and high crime areas.”
Kulchar added that the legalization of recreational marijuana won’t drastically affect his work as it is focused on high-risk narcotics.
“When I am on patrol or criminal interdiction, my goal is to seek out, and K-9 Cody to sniff out, dangerous drugs (ex. heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamines) that are destroying lives, families, and futures,” Kulchar said. “Combating those narcotics is my priority.”
According to the 2023 Athens City-County Health Department report, addiction is the most pressing health problem in the county. Data from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations indicates the rates of availability and use of fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana continue to be high in Athens County.
Additionally, the report found that Athens County has higher rates of substance use disorders and individuals reporting unmet needs for substance use treatment compared to Ohio as a whole.
“If you're buying on a (black) market, it's often laced with fentanyl,” Smith said. “Those are always dangerous, so unless you're really sure of where this is coming from, and if it's a low-quality marijuana of some type, I would always be cautious of that because it's very dangerous. We've had people overdose with fentanyl-laced marijuana.”
Smith also said it's important to have Narcan on hand. Narcan, or Naloxone, is a way of treating narcotic overdoses in an emergency. Narcan can be found at the Athens City-County Health Department, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office and retailers like CVS. Smith adds that his department also has drug prevention and intervention programs for those who qualify.
“(When) we go to help people with drug addictions, we don't feel like arresting people or putting people in jail for drug addiction is the answer,” Smith said. “First of all, we want to educate people to not ever experiment and try drugs, and if you do, we want to get you off drugs, so it'll help the quality of life for them and their families.”
While recreational use is legal in Athens County, it is prohibited on Ohio University’s campus. According to a previous Post report, OU is a smoke-free campus, including cannabis. The university receives federal funding, which requires it to follow the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.
Violating the act could result in the university losing funding for federal programs such as Work Study and student financial aid.
The Smoke-Free Campus policy prohibits all students, even those aged 21 and over, and their guests from using, possessing, distributing, or being under the influence of cannabis while on university property.
2024 OU graduate and current Athens resident Jersie Thomas said just as students should familiarize themselves with state and university policies, they should also familiarize workplace policies.
“Even if you are a medicinal or recreational user, a job is allowed to not hire you as a candidate because they find a federally illegal drug in your system,” Thomas said. “If you are a senior or you are about to start your professional journey, I would recommend taking a moment and just stopping the substance overall.”
For people new to the substance, Thomas recommends starting slow and in a space where you feel comfortable. They also recommend starting with smoking options like a cannabis vaping device or blunt as opposed to edibles.
Thomas said it is difficult to come down from digesting the substance through an edible, such as a gummy or candy bar.
“Safety needs to be included on different fronts,” Thomas said. “If you do plan on partaking in the substance, understanding what a bad turnout could look like (is important). If you're having a bad come down, or you're not in an environment where you feel safe, the substance itself could be triggering.”
Thomas said whether you're on a personal journey or just trying things out, make sure you have a buddy, eat, drink water and know where your supply is coming from.
This emphasis on education and an enjoyable experience are important factors not only for students but also for dispensaries opening across Athens. According to Amonica Davis, chief operations officer for Mavuno of Ohio, education is key in a new industry like cannabis.
“We are black and female-owned, and so we are a differentiator in this space,” Davis said. “Our pillars are our family, which includes our team members, our culture and educating our customers about the benefits of cannabis. Those were our pillars (under the Harvest of Ohio brand), and they remain our pillars at Mavuno.”
Davis adds that as a medicinal and recreational dispensary, the company is used to educating customers. She said at the end of the day, cannabis use is a personal decision but hopes the expertise of the Mavuno staff can help customers make informed decisions for their condition or enjoyment.
According to Adrienne Krantz, general manager of the Mavuno store on 711 W. Union Street, most of the education Mavuno provides is around quantity.
“What that looks like for Ohio as far as what quantifies an ounce when it's a topical or a tincture, and how that works,” Krantz said. “Giving (customers) products that they have had access to previously or in previous years on the street or from other sources. We're offering products that just have a lot more information to back them, which people aren't really used to seeing yet.”
Similar to the Cannabis Museum, Krantz said Mavuno is looking to host events based around responsible use and community connection.
“We're already with the Athens Chamber of Commerce and looking at other opportunities,” Krantz said. “We are still treading as carefully as we can, but we are very excited for the potential for community outreach in the near future and seeing what that can look like with the new state laws that will come in September.”
Krantz said another key draw of the dispensary is its focus on supporting local businesses.
“Meigs County has been a staple around this area for many years,” Krantz said. “Everything that we have in store is produced in Ohio. The state is keeping (production) within the local boundaries, and we're very lucky to have really good growers nearby that the patients and customers really love.”
Davis also attributed much of the legalization's success to a strong Midwest buy-in.
“We are all about local-growing local, buying local, supporting local businesses, and that's very important to us,” Davis said. “We have a very diverse population in our workforce, and we're just excited to be able to bring recreational sales of this industry to Athens County. The representation of having such a diverse and inclusive team is going to benefit all of us.”
Dr. Berkeley Franz, associate professor of community-based health at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, said legalizing marijuana also presents a unique opportunity to combat social justice and economic disparities in Athens.
“The most important thing about legalizing marijuana is the impact that it has on people involved in the criminal justice system,” Franz said. “There are still people who are in prison for minor marijuana offenses, and it disproportionately affects people of color in the United States…Locally, there's real potential to (see change) because the taxes that are incurred from selling marijuana could be reinvested back in the community.”
Franz added that southern Ohio has a long history of growing marijuana. With the legalization at the state level and declassification at the federal level, there is more opportunity to study the substance.
“Now we're going to have more access to clinical trials to know marijuana does help with certain conditions,” Franz said. “We've had virtually no research on it to see if it's helpful. Now, hopefully, we'll get a better sense of what it could potentially do for individuals.”
While Franz has some concerns about the drug, she said the slow legalization has helped change some opinions about the substance and, therefore, their social perceptions.
“There is the potential benefit of people just learning more about it and having an opportunity to form a nuanced opinion about whether marijuana is good or bad or what the trade-offs are with it,” Franz said. “There's opportunity for more education and more discussion around it, instead of it just being an illicit drug.”
