When Fairfield Business Administrator Joseph Catenaro addressed the township council about marijuana retail sale and zoning regulations at last week’s meeting, he suggested that the “get out in front on the issue as soon as possible” now that New Jersey is in the process of legalizing marijuana.
He added that the township “is beginning to receive inquiries regarding business opportunities and where the township stands.”
He explained that the “hot topics” of marijuana in the state of New Jersey (NJ) “range from medical marijuana to recreational marijuana, manufacturing, distribution, growing, retail sales, consumption and a myriad of other topics.”
“We should be prepared as a township to discuss and address many of these topics and address our official position,” he said.
Catenaro provided the governing body with a list of facts, trends, licensing information and “overall pros and cons of the different possibilities relating to every aspect of the use of marijuana or its manufacturing, sale, cultivation and overall forecasting of job creation and economical potential.”
“There are currently five marijuana dispensaries already within NJ for medicinal purposes,” he said. “Twenty-nine states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. Eight states and D.C. have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Vermont is expected later this year with Connecticut and Rhode Island and NJ to follow suit.
“NJ Senate Bill 830 (S830), introduced Jan. 9, 2018, would legalize possession and personal use of small amounts of marijuana for persons ages 21 and over and would create a Division of Marijuana Enforcement and licensing structure. This is the same as assembly bill 1348.