Home Care In Munroe Falls, OH

As another medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open in Cuyahoga Falls, some residents are urging city leaders to stop others from coming to town.

Several residents attended Monday night's City Council meeting to ask for a ban on any new marijuana dispensaries within Cuyahoga Falls.

The latest marijuana dispensary is expected to open at 1682 State Road, which formerly housed Cashland, a personal loan and cash checking business.

The planned dispensary is owned by FRX Health, which has cultivation and processing operations in East Liverpool and in Farrell, Pennsylvania. FRX Health also has a dispensary in East Liverpool and expects to open another location in Elyria.

According to information from the company's website, the Cuyahoga Falls location is expected to open sometime this fall.

It will be the city's second dispensary, joining Curaleaf on Buchholzer Boulevard.

Some residents have set up a petition to ban future marijuana dispensaries, citing concerns about substance abuse, the impact on home values and the risk to children and teens.

Councilwoman Meika M. Penta, who represents Ward 3 where the dispensary is located, said she, too, has concerns about the facility and the compatibility with the neighborhood

"If the decision were mine to make, I would have shut it down," Penta said. "I did not want nor invited this particular kind of business in our area. The challenge we face as a city is that medical marijuana dispensaries were legalized by the state of Ohio, and this location has followed all applicable laws so far."

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issues licenses to allow dispensaries to operate and sets limits on the number in each region.

Penta said she plans to work with the city to explore available options to address the residents' concerns.

Representatives from FRX Health could not be reached for comment.

New Cuyahoga Falls medical marijuana dispensary awaiting operating license

Edward Sturkey, a Cuyahoga Falls resident who lives near the dispensary, said he has concerns about marijuana dispensaries based on his background in the banking business and his job as a firefighter/paramedic.

He said banks typically don't give loans to marijuana dispensaries because of the federal government's position that marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is still technically illegal.

"Banks won't make loans to them due to this," he said.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule 1 drugs are those with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Along with marijuana, other Schedule 1 drugs include LSD, heroin, Ecstasy and peyote.

Sturkey said as a paramedic, he has had to pick up and transport many individuals suffering from drug addiction.

Sturkey also accused medical marijuana companies of trying to attract children and teens into using their products.

"There's a reason why many of these products are sold as gummies and candies," he said.

Sturkey also compared marijuana dispensaries to payday loan businesses.

"These were not illegal, but they were immoral," Sturkey said of payday loan companies. "They preyed on the most vulnerable."

Because of council's actions, Sturkey said, payday loan companies no longer exist on State Road. In 2017, City Council backed a state bill to limit interest charged by payday lenders.

He urged the city to take similar action regarding the medical marijuana business in preventing more marijuana dispensaries from coming into the city.

Sturkey said he was not against the use of marijuana products for medical purposes but worried about the impact having a dispensary would have on drug use in children.

FRX Health still awaiting final operating license for Cuyahoga Falls location

Not all who spoke at Monday's meeting were opposed to the medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cuyahoga Falls resident Tom Sullivan said that the state permits the medical use for marijuana, and may possibly permit the recreational use of marijuana if Issue 2 is approved by voters in the general election. Issue 2, if passed Nov. 7, would allow for the cultivation, regulation, sale and possession of cannabis products for adults 21 and older.

"Nobody was hiding anything," Sullivan said to residents who said they were taken by surprised. "I knew this was coming in eight months ago."

He said that residents have been calling for more businesses to come to that part of State Road. "But now you are complaining."

The city published an FAQ on its website addressing residents' questions and concerns about the facility. According to information from the city, FRX Real Estate Holding Company of Ohio LLC purchased the property on June 10, 2022, for $280,000. Because the business is less than 8,500 square feet, it did not need approval from the city's planning commission or City Council.

"Our local zoning laws and regulations at that location allow retail sales and we currently have no legal grounds to stop it," the online FAQ stated. "This medical facility is also legally permitted under state law. The owners have chosen this location to open a legally operating business."

According to information from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, a license was issued to FRX Health on May 17, 2022, and has an expiration date of Dec. 31.

Darcy Moulin, an attorney with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, said that FRXHealth was part of the second round of requests for applications. The business has until Dec. 31 to complete additional requirements for the Division of Marijuana Control, which will do a final inspection of the facility.

Once FRX Health gets the final OK from the division, it will receive a certificate of operation.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at [email protected]

As another medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open in Cuyahoga Falls, some residents are urging city leaders to stop others from coming to town.

Several residents attended Monday night's City Council meeting to ask for a ban on any new marijuana dispensaries within Cuyahoga Falls.

The latest marijuana dispensary is expected to open at 1682 State Road, which formerly housed Cashland, a personal loan and cash checking business.

The planned dispensary is owned by FRX Health, which has cultivation and processing operations in East Liverpool and in Farrell, Pennsylvania. FRX Health also has a dispensary in East Liverpool and expects to open another location in Elyria.

According to information from the company's website, the Cuyahoga Falls location is expected to open sometime this fall.

It will be the city's second dispensary, joining Curaleaf on Buchholzer Boulevard.

Some residents have set up a petition to ban future marijuana dispensaries, citing concerns about substance abuse, the impact on home values and the risk to children and teens.

Councilwoman Meika M. Penta, who represents Ward 3 where the dispensary is located, said she, too, has concerns about the facility and the compatibility with the neighborhood

"If the decision were mine to make, I would have shut it down," Penta said. "I did not want nor invited this particular kind of business in our area. The challenge we face as a city is that medical marijuana dispensaries were legalized by the state of Ohio, and this location has followed all applicable laws so far."

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issues licenses to allow dispensaries to operate and sets limits on the number in each region.

Penta said she plans to work with the city to explore available options to address the residents' concerns.

Representatives from FRX Health could not be reached for comment.

New Cuyahoga Falls medical marijuana dispensary awaiting operating license

Edward Sturkey, a Cuyahoga Falls resident who lives near the dispensary, said he has concerns about marijuana dispensaries based on his background in the banking business and his job as a firefighter/paramedic.

He said banks typically don't give loans to marijuana dispensaries because of the federal government's position that marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is still technically illegal.

"Banks won't make loans to them due to this," he said.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule 1 drugs are those with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Along with marijuana, other Schedule 1 drugs include LSD, heroin, Ecstasy and peyote.

Sturkey said as a paramedic, he has had to pick up and transport many individuals suffering from drug addiction.

Sturkey also accused medical marijuana companies of trying to attract children and teens into using their products.

"There's a reason why many of these products are sold as gummies and candies," he said.

Sturkey also compared marijuana dispensaries to payday loan businesses.

"These were not illegal, but they were immoral," Sturkey said of payday loan companies. "They preyed on the most vulnerable."

Because of council's actions, Sturkey said, payday loan companies no longer exist on State Road. In 2017, City Council backed a state bill to limit interest charged by payday lenders.

He urged the city to take similar action regarding the medical marijuana business in preventing more marijuana dispensaries from coming into the city.

Sturkey said he was not against the use of marijuana products for medical purposes but worried about the impact having a dispensary would have on drug use in children.

FRX Health still awaiting final operating license for Cuyahoga Falls location

Not all who spoke at Monday's meeting were opposed to the medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cuyahoga Falls resident Tom Sullivan said that the state permits the medical use for marijuana, and may possibly permit the recreational use of marijuana if Issue 2 is approved by voters in the general election. Issue 2, if passed Nov. 7, would allow for the cultivation, regulation, sale and possession of cannabis products for adults 21 and older.

"Nobody was hiding anything," Sullivan said to residents who said they were taken by surprised. "I knew this was coming in eight months ago."

He said that residents have been calling for more businesses to come to that part of State Road. "But now you are complaining."

The city published an FAQ on its website addressing residents' questions and concerns about the facility. According to information from the city, FRX Real Estate Holding Company of Ohio LLC purchased the property on June 10, 2022, for $280,000. Because the business is less than 8,500 square feet, it did not need approval from the city's planning commission or City Council.

"Our local zoning laws and regulations at that location allow retail sales and we currently have no legal grounds to stop it," the online FAQ stated. "This medical facility is also legally permitted under state law. The owners have chosen this location to open a legally operating business."

According to information from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, a license was issued to FRX Health on May 17, 2022, and has an expiration date of Dec. 31.

Darcy Moulin, an attorney with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, said that FRXHealth was part of the second round of requests for applications. The business has until Dec. 31 to complete additional requirements for the Division of Marijuana Control, which will do a final inspection of the facility.

Once FRX Health gets the final OK from the division, it will receive a certificate of operation.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at [email protected]

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CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — A group of neighbors in Cuyahoga Falls is calling on the city to halt more marijuana dispensaries from coming to town. They think their health, safety and property value concerns could be compounded if Issue 2 legalizes recreational marijuana in Ohio.

They’re circulating a door-to-door and online petition as construction nears an end on the city’s second medical cannabis dispensary on State Road near Chestnut Boulevard.

“These should not be in residential areas at all. They shouldn’t be anywhere where homes and families and kids, young through young adult, are living,” said Laura, who lives nearby and declined to share her last name out of concern for her family’s privacy.

She started the petition several weeks ago when she and other neighbors first heard the former payday lending building was being converted.

“We were all surprised by its proximity to houses right here in the center of the neighborhood,” said fellow Cuyahoga Falls resident Ed Sturkey.

Neighbor and former city councilman Vic Pallotta added, “This facility is not a good fit for this side of town.”

The group of neighbors has been collecting signatures and speaking to city leaders about their concerns. They point to the building’s small lot and prohibit neighborhood street parking as a potential challenge if the facility draws a large customer base.

“I don’t know where all these people are going to go. So it’s a real traffic concern,” said Pallotta, who tells News 5 he regularly sees a packed parking lot at a larger facility in Akron.

They also cite several studies from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and policy research organization The RAND Corporation about how the presence of dispensaries and the use of marijuana can affect children and young people.

“That’s my biggest push as a mom of 2 kids,” said Laura. “I think about their future, I think about, ‘Ok, we go recreational.’ And they’re young now, but what happens when they’re in middle school, or they’re in high school, and this is just everywhere?”

Some medical marijuana patients told News 5 they see things differently.

“We see bars everywhere,” said Don Parks. “It’s much less impactful than alcohol ever was.”

The Stow resident who drives to Cuyahoga Falls’ only current dispensary for his prescription said he also supports the legalization of recreational marijuana and doesn’t expect dispensaries to have negative effects on communities.

Abram Benjamin, who was also picking up his prescription in Cuyahoga Falls Friday, said he sees the potential revenue dispensaries could generate if they’re regulated responsibly.

“As long as it’s not like right next to a school or within a mile of a school, I feel that that’s better,” he said.

No one from the city was available for an interview Friday, but a representative directed News 5 to a page on its website with answers to frequently asked questions about marijuana dispensaries.

The document said there have been no issues reported in connection to the city’s only current medical marijuana dispensary, which opened on Buchholzer Blvd in 2020.

The company, Curaleaf, issued the following statement to News 5:

Curaleaf takes very seriously its impact on, and connection to the local communities where it operates and we comply with all safety regulations in place. Curaleaf has a 13 year history of supporting medical patients around the country, and will continue to prioritize medical patients if the adult use transition commences after the coming election. If the bill to legalize adult use cannabis in Ohio does pass on November 7th, we would welcome adult use consumers into our stores once state regulations are presented. Issues of safety are taken into consideration by lawmakers when legislating where dispensaries can operate and how many locations are appropriate for the population size and anticipated demand of any area. Additionally, the 10% sales tax that would be imposed on adult use cannabis purchases would generate tax revenue that funnels back into the community.

The city’s FAQs addressed its position on prohibiting medical marijuana facilities. It said the Ohio Board of Pharmacy approves licenses and locations.

“Our local zoning laws and regulations at that location allow retail sales, and we currently have no legal grounds to stop it. This medical facility is also legally permitted under state law,” the web page said.

It also said if voters approve Issue 2, recreational cannabis rules would be determined by state lawmakers and regulations.

“If approved, the Ohio legislature will craft rules and regulations that govern the ability of individual cities to regulate or restrict recreational sales,” it said.

Language in Issue 2 says local governments would be allowed to pass their own ordinances to limit or prohibit dispensaries, though they could not limit existing medical marijuana facilities.

The group behind the petition is hoping the city will consider drafting legislation and preparing for the potential outcomes of the election.

“We see a storm coming, and there’s not enough voices out there that are saying, ‘Hey, protect yourself. Protect your families. Fight for what matters.’”

News 5 reached out to FarmaceuticalRX, the company opening the dispensary on State Rd, for comment, but we have not heard back.

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — A boil advisory affecting approximately 150 Akron water customers located in Cuyahoga Falls and Boston Township has been lifted as of Tuesday morning, the City of Akron announced.

The advisory, which went into effect on Monday, came as the result of a water main break that occurred on Akron Peninsula Road near Bath Road. The City of Akron said that the advisory has been lifted following testing that occurred over the course of an 18-hour period.

"EPA regulations require the City to perform testing to ensure that the drinking water is safe before a precautionary boil water advisory can be lifted," the City said in a statement. "At this time, all affected Akron Water customers are no longer required to boil their drinking water or take any special precautions. Water is safe to consume and can be used normally."

The City also noted that residents "may experience periodic discoloration or cloudiness of water for the next day or two."

"Discoloration is faint yellow or brown in color, while cloudiness can have the appearance of weak milk," the City said. "Discoloration results from drinking water scouring the inside of water mains due to the main break. If this should happen, open every cold-water faucet and bath/shower fixture in your home at the same time and flush for five minutes until clear. Cloudiness is the result of dissolved air and will eventually clear itself out. Neither discoloration nor cloudiness are reasons to be concerned about the safety of the water over the next couple of days."

The City of Akron Water Supply Bureau had issued a boil water advisory for all customers on, within or adjacent to the following locations:

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As a standard practice, the EPA recommends the following actions to reduce possible lead exposure in drinking water:

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CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Cuyahoga Falls is poised to establish a Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area in its growing riverfront business district.

With Cuyahoga Falls City Council approval, the proposed DORA would stretch the length of the downtown business district, running north and south along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the city said in its proposal.

What You Need To Know

DORAs are designed to serve as economic development tools for cities with populations higher than 50,000, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The population of Cuyahoga Falls is roughly 51,000.

Cities launch DORAs to draw patrons to business districts and highlight restaurants, liquor establishments and retail businesses there.

The Cuyahoga Falls downtown riverfront business district has been energized since the city transformed its former pedestrian mall to two-way traffic, with a grand re-opening in 2018 that saw eateries, bars and retail businesses fill in once-empty storefronts along Front Street.

The nonprofit Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Partnership, established in 2018 to promote the city's burgeoning downtown and its businesses, proposed creating a DORA after receiving numerous requests for one, the proposal said.

A public hearing to present and discuss the DORA proposal is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 17 during the City Council meeting at the Natatorium, 2345 Fourth St. in Cuyahoga Falls.

Residents will be able to comment publicly about the proposal at the meeting or submit comments via emailor by post to City Council, 2310 Second St., Cuyahoga Falls, 44221.

All comments received at least 12 hours before the meeting will be read into the record, the city said.

If approved, the Falls DORA would be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the city said.

It would encompass the area between Grant Avenue at the south end, just past HiHo Brewing Co., to Moe's Restaurant at the north end, and from the river at the eastern border to Second Street to the west, the city's proposal shows.

To further define the boundaries, the city would erect entrance and exit signs at major access points, the city said.

DORAs, like the one proposed in the Falls, allow customers to purchase special plastic cups that enable them to walk outside with a beverage in tow within the DORA boundaries.

Drinks can’t be carried into another restaurant or bar though — even ones participating in the DORA. Per Ohio regulations, a new cup has to be purchased, usually for $1.

Cups can be carried into participating retail establishments, the proposal said.

According to the Falls proposal, there are 19 qualified liquor permit holders within the proposed boundary, which would be required to buy clear, recyclable 16-ounce cups and stickers for the cups from the downtown partnership.

The downtown partnership would also provide special door decals for businesses within the DORA boundary to alert patrons to which establishments sell DORA drinks and which retail establishments allow DORA cups on their premises, the proposal said.

In 2020, Akron approved a large DORA in the central downtown business on South Main Street near the city-owned Lock 3 Park and Akron Civic Theatre.

In 2022, the DORA was expanded to include more than 40 businesses covering a large swath of downtown, from R. Shea Brewing on South Main Street to Lock 15 Brewing on W. North Street.

To view the Cuyahoga Falls DORA proposal, visit the city website.