The township has approved six potential marijuana retailers and three are close to opening up in the village.
“All are still in process,” said Julie Doran, acting township administrator. “Three have come back, so far, with conditional licenses from the state. One has dropped out. So now there are five that are still viable with three having conditional state approval to proceed.”
The process to open a recreational marijuana establishment requires a potential business to appear before the town, get a resolution of support, then go to the state for conditional approval, then back to the township for planning board approval, then back to the state for another approval before coming back to the township Board of Trustees for a final OK to open.
The state developed its own rules governing marijuana retailers but townships are allowed to create ordinances to add their own regulations, which South Orange did.