FREMONT – Four businesses have applied for medical marijuana dispensary licenses in Fremont and the state’s Board of Pharmacy released proposed site addresses this week for those companies.
The four applicants are Alt Med Ohio 1, LLC (proposed location-1033 Court St.); Cannamed Therapeutics, LLC (1800 E. State St.); Ohio Way LLC (1526 W. State St.); and The Forest Fremont LLC (2100 W. State St.).
Erik Vaughan, CEO for Hudson-based The Forest Ohio LLC (The Forest Fremont’s parent company), said all dispensaries statewide are required to open by Sept. 8.
He said The Forest Fremont’s proposed site is a great location and accessible for patients in Fremont and surrounding areas.
“We expect to learn in the spring,” Vaughan said of whether his company will get a license for a Fremont dispensary.
Vaughan said in October at a Fremont City Council meeting that his company hoped to open a facility in Fremont.
He gave a presentation on medical marijuana to council members at the meeting.
Council unanimously passed an ordinance that night to allow a medical marijuana dispensary in the city.
“I supported it and we believe it would advantageous to the city for economic stimulation,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said he would not want to see a dispensary located in a residential neighborhood.
There were 370 permit applications filed for medical marijuana dispensaries throughout Ohio.
Vaughan said The Forest Ohio LLC applied for six dispensary licenses statewide-the maximum allowed.
Three counties — Sandusky, Ottawa and Seneca — will share one dispensary, according to the state licensing rules. No applications were filed in Ottawa or Seneca counties, the other two counties in the state’s Northwest District 7.
The News-Messenger also requested copies of the dispensary applications filed by the four businesses, but the Board of Pharmacy did not release that information.
In an email, Board of Pharmacy legal assistant Paula Economus said that, as the board continues to review applications for medical marijuana dispensary provisional licenses, it remains committed to full transparency.
“No licenses have been awarded. As the board continues with the licensing process additional documents will be released in a reasonable amount of time,” Economus said.
In a separate licensing process to open medical marijuana production facilities, Standard Wellness Company LLC received a license from the state’s Department of Commerce to build a proposed 50,000-square-foot facility at Gibsonburg’s Clearview Industrial Park.
Standard Wellness broke ground on the Gibsonburg facility in December and will have the facility operational by September.
Vaughan said Standard Wellness and The Forest Fremont share the same management team.
He said there will be a ramp up period when the dispensaries open statewide as people begin signing up with the state’s patient registry program.
“We expect two percent of the population will qualify as patients,” Vaughan said.
credit:thenews-messenger.com