In the tiny Gloucester County borough of Clayton, a battle is shaping up between Big Marijuana and organized anti-weed forces divided over whether a $10 million cannabis cultivation and processing facility should be built on vacant land in an industrial park.
Officials hastily called a town meeting last month to discuss Green Thumb Industries’ proposal and to quell rumors that borough lawyer Tim Scaffidi said were stoked by “false and unsubstantiated claims” published by the Clayton Free Press and mailed to the borough’s 8,700 residents. The publication relied heavily upon the remarks of David G. Evans, a special adviser to the Drug-Free America Foundation, a leading opponent of legalized marijuana. Evans was quoted as saying a marijuana operation carries “many proven negative impacts … on your home value, your children’s health and safety, and the environment.”
The applause and comments made during the heated meeting Sept. 13 suggested the crowd of more than 200 was equally divided over what one resident described as the “hot-button issue” of marijuana. Would a marijuana facility bring increased crime, odors, and stigma, and send a wrong message to young people, or would the business bring 150 new jobs, provide tax revenue for the struggling town, and help people who are ill and could benefit from cannabis?