Millersburg Council Set to Vote on Banning Cannabis Operations in Village

Millersburg Village Council took up its third and final reading of Ordinance 100-2026 at its March 9 meeting, placing a vote on whether to permanently prohibit adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana cultivators, processors, dispensaries, and related operators from establishing themselves within village limits.

The ordinance, listed in the council's published meeting packet as "3rd Reading & Vote to Pass," signals the measure has already cleared two prior readings without being tabled or amended, meaning Sunday's session represented the decisive moment for the proposal. Under Ohio's standard municipal legislative process, an ordinance reaching a third reading is positioned for final adoption.

The scope of the ban, as described in the ordinance title, is broad. It would cover the full range of cannabis-related commercial activity, from cultivation and processing facilities to retail dispensaries, shutting off Millersburg as a potential home for any licensed operator in Ohio's legal cannabis market.

Ohio voters approved Issue 2 in November 2023, legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis statewide, but the law granted municipalities explicit authority to opt out of hosting cannabis businesses within their borders. Communities that prohibit dispensaries also forgo a share of cannabis tax revenue the state distributes to host jurisdictions. Holmes County, with its significant Plain community population and historically conservative character, has seen little appetite among local governments for the cannabis industry.

If the council passed Ordinance 100-2026 on March 9, Millersburg would join a growing list of Ohio municipalities that have used their local opt-out authority to keep cannabis commerce out of their boundaries. The ordinance number and its progression to a third reading suggest the measure was introduced earlier in 2026 and advanced through council without significant opposition slowing its schedule.