If the majority public sentiment voiced by residents at Thursday’s listening session of the Westfield Cannabis Commission is any indicator of what the town council will decide, the possibility of Westfield-based marijuana businesses could be snuffed out or severely limited.
The cannabis commission heard from a bevy of residents opposed to allowing legal marijuana operations in Westfield, even as other residents noted the potential tax revenue that could be gotten by allowing cannabis operations in town.
“Westfield is a family-oriented town,” said Kerry Murphy, a Codding Road resident, who was among about a dozen people who spoke against allowing marijuana businesses in Westfield. “It’s not a home for cannabis dispensaries.”
Just as do all New Jersey municipalities do under the state law, Westfield has until Aug. 21 to either prohibit or limit cannabis establishments in its borders. If it does not do so, any marijuana business that is legal in New Jersey will be legal in Westfield. Towns may also levy a tax of up to 2% on the proceeds of cannabis sales by retailers, growers and manufacturers.
In Westfield, 69.7% of Westfield voters favored legal marijuana in the state’s 2020 referendum — a higher percentage than the 67% statewide who voted for legal weed. However, in a 2018 survey conducted for an update to the town’s master plan, 57% of people surveyed did not want retail marijuana stores in Westfield.