Now it’s time for Berkeley Heights to decide which, if any, of the 6 marketplace classes of marijuana businesses* will operate in our Town (scroll below to see the list of cannabis business types and their definitions). The Council needs to take action as the same Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to adopt regulations governing the number of cannabis establishments, cannabis distributors and/or cannabis delivery services allowed to operate within their boundaries, as well as the location, manner and operation times of such establishments, distributors or delivery services, and establishes civil penalties for the violation of any such regulations.
Council action on this issue for or against any or all options must happen before July 6, 2021. The failure to do so shall mean that for a period of five years thereafter, the growing, cultivating, manufacturing, selling and reselling of cannabis and cannabis items shall be permitted uses in ALL industrial zones. It also means that retail selling of cannabis items to consumers shall be a conditional use in ALL commercial and retail zones.
Before your governing body decides whether to allow any or all of the 6 classes of licenses in Berkeley Heights, we would like to know how residents feel about the presence of marijuana businesses in Berkeley Heights. We also need to hear whether residents support the distribution of legalized cannabis in our town.
During the next Town Council meeting, which is on Tuesday May 4th at 7 pm, there will a conference session on this topic and we encourage residents to dial in and speak up. In addition, you can email me your thoughts at jkingsley@bhtwp.com