Momentum toward legalization of marijuana continues to grow. That doesn’t mean local officials have to like it. In fact, many of them have taken action to ban the possession of pot, including in states where recreational use is becoming acceptable.
New Jersey lawmakers are widely expected to legalize pot this year. They have determined that the drug is relatively benign and undeserving of criminal penalties. The fact that legalized marijuana sales have helped boost tax revenues in other states doesn’t hurt.
But about 50 local governments in New Jersey have passed laws banning marijuana sales or possession within their borders. Nearly all the bans were put in place last year in anticipation of state action on the issue. “It came from the publicity of the state legalizing it,” says Robert White, the mayor of Saddle Brook, N.J., which imposed its ban in October. “We had a lot of residents who talked to myself and other council members, saying they didn’t want to see marijuana sold in Saddle Brook.” A similar dynamic exists in Michigan, where about 80 communities have opted out of the legalization law adopted by voters in November.