Garden State Dispensary, headquartered in Woodbridge, received approval from the Department of Health to open a satellite medical marijuana dispensary in Eatontown, DOH spokeswoman Donna Leusner said in an email.
While the dispensary was approved to "move forward" in the process to open a satellite dispensary, the state still must issue a permit once it "has determined the site meets all of our regulatory requirements," Leusner said.
Eatontown Mayor Anthony Talerico said Garden State Dispensary's proposed location of 59 Route 35, near the entrance to the former Fort Monmouth property, qualifies as a permitted use in town under existing zoning.
Talerico said the town has had multiple discussions with operators of potential medical marijuana dispensaries, most recently at the July 10 council meeting, where one group discussed its plans to apply for a license in the Department of Health's most recent round of licenses.