In March, the Orange City Council took a preliminary vote, 4-2, in favor of an ordinance that would ban recreational marijuana sales within its borders.
The vote, which happened following the first reading of the ordinance, drew the ire of many in the community, including several business owners who are preparing to open recreational marijuana operations in the predominately Black township. The ordinance would need to be passed again at a second reading to become law.
“For an applicant, such as ourselves, who did everything correctly...if a town then pulls its support, do we then become free agents, essentially?” said Travis Ally, co-owner of 93iD.
93iD plans on operating a fully integrated marijuana company, from “seed to sale,” its owners Levi Holmes and Ally told NJ Advance Media Saturday. According to the owners, the company already spent about $500,000 to secure its facility located at 95-123 Freeway Drive, totaling 125,000 square feet. It would be one of the largest marijuana facilities in the region, the owners said.
Both owners of 93iD are Black.
“If we get this license, it’s a game-changer for the community, when we talk about the tax revenue this would bring to a particular community,” Holmes, a retired Newark police officer said.