Mayor Dennis Sullivan and members of the Borough Council will begin weighing the advantages and disadvantages of licensing retail dispensaries for the sale of legal marijuana at Monday night's virtual council meeting beginning at 7 p.m.
"There's a lot to digest, and it could be fairly contentious," Sullivan said. It's game changing and has serious long-term implications. There's a lot to consider. I expect to have a substantive discussion about what we see is best for town as a whole."
Orange held a cannabis community meeting day on Sunday ahead of a recreational marijuana vote for the township.
Orange is just two days away from voting on a proposed ordinance that'll either allow or ban the sale of recreational marijuana in the town.
On Saturday, community members gathered at the Hubb to show their support for marijuana businesses.
“Discouraging law enforcement from protecting children against the dangers of using marijuana and alcohol is a major problem and the Legislature needs to step in to fix the flawed laws, yet again,” said Bramnick (R-Union). “An officer could be subject to a third-degree criminal charge for simply doing their jobs. The so-called social justice reforms are in fact endangering the welfare of residents. Before New Jersey has sold an ounce of adult-use marijuana we are forced to confront these unintended consequences.”
The Borough Council unanimously adopted an ordinance Monday prohibiting all marijuana businesses – shops, cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers and delivery services – from operating in the borough.
However, the ordinance allows delivery of cannabis in the borough from businesses outside Manville.
Like all 565 municipalities in New Jersey, Manville had until Aug. 21 to decide whether to allow marijuana businesses.
Capping cultivation licenses was a major point of contention between New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office and the state Legislature. The limit of 37 in the next two years was a compromise, according to Jeff Brown, executive director of New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
Brown acknowledged that the limit will be something New Jersey will need to work around, but he stressed that the state has no limit on the amount of licenses that can go to microbusinesses, defined for cultivation purposes as places with 10 or fewer employees that span 2,500 or fewer square feet.
But Brown said he’s not seeing enough of the existing cannabis industry in the state using their advanced position -- already holding licenses and in full operation of cannabis production and distribution -- to help meet the inevitable wave of customers soon to come.
Town officials have introduced an ordinance to temporarily ban marijuana sales and businesses.
Medical marijuana users and supporters spoke about their cannabis experiences during Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting as town officials presented a new ordinance to ban all marijuana establishments, distributors and delivery services. The ban, officials said, will give them time to develop rules and regulations on cannabis sales.
The new ordinance introduced Tuesday night would replace the ban the township placed on marijuana businesses of all kinds in March 2019. A second reading and adoption is scheduled for April 27.
The new ordinance comes in response to the state legislation that accompanied the legalization of adult recreational marijuana use, which was approved by New Jersey voters in the November election.
During the meeting, commission member Sam Delgado, a former Verizon executive and retired Marine Corps Reserve Combat Communications Officer, was elected as the group’s vice chair.
“I will strive to ensure that this commission runs and operates with the same level of professionalism, diligence and commitment that we expect from our industry operators,” Delgado said, who then recalled a story about the time he was arrested in 1975 for marijuana possession in New York.
The Township Council introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would block cannabis businesses of all types from operating within Brick.
In response to recreational marijuana's legalization across New Jersey, the Council's proposed ordinance would prohibit cannabis establishments, cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and delivery services from operating in Brick for the next five years. The council's prohibition is permitted under New Jersey's new Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement, Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act.