MADISON TOWNSHIP — Brian Hennessey and Jonathan Mayle hope to open a 4,000 square-foot marijuana dispensary in Madison Township.
The Backroad Wellness team asked trustees and meeting attendees on Monday if the township would be open to a medical and recreational dispensary.
“I know it’s brand new and people are kind of scared of it, so I wanted to come talk to you guys about it and answer any questions,” Hennessey said.
“If we have the community’s support, we’d like to put a letter of intent on the property we’re looking at and apply for a license with the state in June.”
Trustees voted against medical marijuana facilities in 2018. Chair Tom Craft said he will ask the township’s legal counsel if that resolution is still valid.
“I can’t make any promises until we find out if this resolution is still going to apply,” he said. “Because if it’s still in effect, it’s a moot point.”
Hennessey didn’t disclose what location Backroad Wellness is looking at, though he said it was in a “high-traffic area” and that the business plans to demolish the existing structure and build a new building if it has the township’s support.
“Just based on geography, this whole county is an underserved market,” the Zanesville native said.
Backroad Wellness currently operates medical facilities in Cambridge, Lima and New Boston. Hennessey said his family, who owns the business, wants to open an additional three facilities across the state.
According to final vote tallies from the Richland County Board of Elections, a 54.4% majority of Madison Township residents voted in favor of recreational cannabis.
Among the township’s six precincts, only the Mad-E precinct recorded a majority of voters against it; 1,845 township residents voted for Issue 2 while 1,547 residents (45.6%) voted against it.
Dispensary would serve medical & recreational customers
Mayle said the business has about 43 employees across their three locations, including security guards and security cameras at each site.
“We haven’t had any break-ins, any attempted robberies or anything,” he said. “We take a lot of safety precautions and safeguards with our products.”
Mayle said each of their existing stores net about $250,000 each month and pay around $50,000 in sales tax. Trustee Dan Fletcher noted the township doesn’t receive sales tax, only property taxes.
Backroad Wellness would pay property taxes on its new building if the township allows it and if the state grants licensure.
“We only want to open here if the community supports us,” Hennessey said. “We don’t want to disrespect anybody.”
Some residents asked Backroad Wellness questions during public comment, including resident Tim Goff, who asked how the business knows its products are safe.
“Ohio looked at all the other states that have already legalized it and I think we have some of the most stern regulations in the country,” Mayle said. “The state uses a system called METRC, where they track the mairjuana plant from the moment it’s a seed until it walks out of our doors.
“Our medical dispensaries operate pretty much like a pharmacy. You walk in with a doctor’s note with your recommended supply, and we only let you buy up to that much within a 45-day window.”
If the township allows the dispensary, it would be open to medical and recreational users. According to the Backroad Wellness website, the company sells a variety of products including flowers, edibles, concentrates, vapes and extracts.
Also during public comment, Beth Donaldson from the Madison branch of the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library told trustees and meeting attendees about the library’s “memory kits” designed for people with memory loss or cognitive impairments.
The kits contain books, movies and activities to complete with friends or family. Donaldson said the branch has about eight kits of varying topics to check out.
Also at Monday’s meeting:
- Trustees agreed to hire Harvey Bachmann as a part-time firefighter.
- Fire Chief Ken Justus said the township received three new powered stair chairs. Trustees agreed to designate two old stair chairs as surplus equipment so the fire department can dispose of them.
- David Morgenstern and Donald Zehner introduced themselves to residents during public commentary. They are running for Richland County commissioner and county sheriff, respectively, in the 2024 primary election.
