Mount Laurel on Monday night moved toward opening parts of town to the cultivation, manufacture and retail sale of recreational marijuana.
Township Council members voted 5-0 to introduce an ordinance permitting the cannabis activities in commercial and industrial areas of town. A final vote on the ordinance is scheduled after a June 14 public hearing.
Municipalities across New Jersey are wrestling with whether or not to permit marijuana sales inside their borders. They have until August 21, when the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission will disclose the state regulations. A municipality that does not vote by the deadline automatically opens up its commercial and industrial districts to marijuana with no local restrictions. Some communities already have voted to ban sales.
Voters across the state last November overwhelmingly decided to permit recreational marijuana in New Jersey. The statewide vote was 67% in favor, with the measure passing Burlington County and Mount Laurel voters by a slightly larger margin, the proposed ordinance notes. The recreational use is limited to people 21 years and older.