The Oliver Township Planning Commission will have a meeting this Thursday to discuss a proposed medical marijuana ordinance.

The public hearing portion will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Jan 20 at the Elkton Village Hall. After the public hearing portion is finished, the planning commission meeting will start, where they will decide whether to pass the ordinance or not.

Oliver Township Clerk Robert Ross said their ordinance has been in the works since the village of Elkton passed its own ordinance in October, which allows medical marijuana to be grown in residences inside the village’s borders for caregiver use. Selling either medical or recreational marijuana is still prohibited in the village.

“It goes back to the state allowing marijuana use,” Ross said. “We can’t say no. We can put regulations on it to make it safe, and that’s what we plan to do.”

Ross said their ordinance is basically the same as Elkton’s, with minor changes referring to the township instead of the village. It also allows a caregiver to grow medical marijuana for their patients, with fire and law enforcement departments allowed to inspect the place it is grown in to make sure everything is safe.

If the planning commission passes this ordinance at their meeting, it will go into effect seven days after approval.