Brigantine is the latest town in South Jersey to ban the sale and public use of recreational marijuana since Gov. Phil Murphy signed off on legalization earlier this year.
While all but three of the 565 municipalities in the state voted in favor of recreational-use marijuana, more and more towns are banning the use and sale of it. Many towns in Cape May County, such as Ocean City and North Wildwood, voted to ban it altogether. Other towns, such as Brigantine, are following suit.
Vince Sera, Brigantine’s mayor, said during a recent City Council meeting that the city had a standing ordinance prohibiting the sale of marijuana but did not have an ordinance prohibiting smoking marijuana because it was illegal statewide until recently.
“We do have prohibitions of smoking in public areas, so this kind of brings that in line,” Sera said. “I can tell people, too, that I don’t believe anyone here on council is concerned with what responsible adults do in the privacy of their own home, but we do have a concern for what the children of our community are exposed to.”