It’s been a little more than a year since representatives of a Massachusetts-based firm pitched a proposal for a medical marijuana facility in a former seafood processing plant on Indian Trail Road.
After a lengthy presentation by representatives of Insa of Easthampton, Massachusetts, the Middle Township Committee voted to support the use, which is part of the application process to receive a state license for medical marijuana.
New Jersey approved medical marijuana in 2010, the 14th state to do so. The number has grown, with marijuana remaining completely illegal in only eight states. The rest have approved some form of medical use, decriminalized possession or have legalized it for recreational use by adults.
But for now, nothing seems to have changed at the former La Monica processing plant, set slightly apart from a cluster of other businesses in the Burleigh section of the township. The wide lawn in front of the building has been cut, but dense growth surrounds the walls, and sections of the facility appear to be in bad condition.
Insa still has an agreement of sale for the property, according to Steve Reilly, a co-owner and one of the founders of Insa. But the company won’t move forward until it has the needed state permit.
“There’s an injunction in place at the state level,” Reilly said, “We’re kind of treading water. Right now we’re conducting our due diligence.”