For the first time since New Jersey allowed the establishment of recreational cannabis businesses, the Township Council on Tuesday voted to enter into a memorandum of agreement with a marijuana cultivator and manufacturer.
Michigan-based Grasshopper Farms will set up its indoor cannabis growing operation on about 40 acres on the property of Duane K. and Pamela Demaree at 219 S. Cologne Ave., township Manager Chris Johansen has said previously.
The meeting began with a presentation from Slap Consulting, LLC on the sale and use of cannabis in the town of Hammonton. The presentation outlined and discussed several key points on the sale of cannabis, such as some state guidelines for the sale of the substance, some economic benefits and the risks associated with allowing the sale of cannabis.
Some of the key points in this presentation involved potential revenue for the town of Hammonton, security concerns and some of the optimal points where cannabis dispensaries should be placed.
Approval of cannabis businesses in Somers Point is going to have to wait at least another six weeks.
City Council held a special meeting July 7 to introduce an ordinance that would allow for a cannabis retailer and distributor to open in the city, but only three of the seven members attended. Without a quorum, no action could be taken.
City Council President Janice Johnston said she was unhappy that four members did not show up to the meeting.
Grasshopper Farms NJ, LLC has the next 180 days to convince the Township Committee to change its designation from conditional redeveloper to redeveloper of a proposed indoor cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility at a farm on South Cologne Avenue.
The five-member Township Committee voted unanimously during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday to approve a resolution that appointed Grasshopper Farms NJ, LLC as a conditional redeveloper and authorized the execution of a memorandum of understanding.
City Council has been passing around the idea of allowing marijuana sales for years but could never get any data on anticipated tax revenue.
City resident Max Slusher, a member of the Economic Development Advisory Commission, finally delivered that data during a presentation March 23.
City Council adopted a pair of ordinances last week to amend the city’s cannabis and land-management codes. The amendments specify which cultivation practices are allowed within city limits and create a new city cannabis committee designed to streamline the municipal regulatory process.
The amended cannabis code explicitly bans the outdoor growth of marijuana within the city, an issue that has been debated elsewhere in Atlantic County.
City Council will hold a special meeting Friday to discuss the potential purchase of property for cultivation of marijuana.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and be held in the Municipal Building at 316 Route 50 in the tiny Atlantic County town on the northern bank of the Tuckahoe River.
Other items may be discussed, and formal action may be taken.
One challenge is the growing number of municipalities across the state that have enacted bans on the budding industry. According to NJ.com, dozens of cities and towns have preemptively blocked the sale of recreational cannabis within their borders. South Jersey municipalities that have passed bans include Bridgeton in Cumberland County, Lumberton in Burlington County, Manning Township and Upper Pittsgrove in Salem County, and Pleasantville and Somers Point in Atlantic County.