POWELL — Powell City Council approved a third moratorium on marijuana dispensaries Tuesday as officials move closer to permanently prohibiting the businesses through a broader rewrite of the city’s zoning code.
The moratorium will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2026, or until the revised zoning code takes effect, whichever comes first.
Council also held the first of two required readings on the proposed zoning code rewrite. If approved on second reading Aug. 4, the new code would prohibit “marijuana or cannabis operators and associated uses throughout the city,” according to a memo from City Manager Andy White.
Planning Director Logan Stang previously told Delaware Source the revised zoning code would take effect Sept. 4 if council approves it next month.
White said the proposed prohibition reflects feedback the city has received from residents.
“This really just comes out to a timing issue,” Stang told council.
“We are prohibiting these uses across the city, so really the moratorium is just to protect in that intermediary period before the zoning code is effective.”
Past moratoriums in Powell
Powell City Council first adopted a moratorium on marijuana dispensaries in 2024, following Ohio voters’ approval of State Issue 2, which legalized adult-use marijuana in the state.
According to White’s memo to council, the original moratorium was intended to give Ohio time to develop regulations governing the commercial sale, cultivation and recreational use of adult-use marijuana before such businesses were permitted to locate in Powell.
Council extended the moratorium for another year in June 2025 through Resolution 2025-20. That moratorium has since expired.
Tuesday’s resolution establishes a new moratorium to prevent marijuana businesses from opening in Powell while the city’s proposed zoning code rewrite moves through the approval process.
The resolution only prohibits the retail cultivation, processing and dispensing of adult-use marijuana and medical marijuana uses. It does not prohibit personal use on privately-owned residences.
