Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in New Jersey, the Cranford Township Committee took a first step Tuesday night to ban any cannabis-related businesses in town for the foreseeable future.
The Committee voted to introduce an ordinance to "temporarily pause" the opening of cannabis businesses, town officials said in a release after the vote on Tuesday night.
Cranford and other towns in New Jersey are being required — according to recent state legislation — to decide by Aug. 21 whether to allow or ban any class of cannabis related businesses in their borders.
If a town votes to allow cannabis distributors and sellers, that ruling must stand for five years — but if a town votes against it, they can still change their mind at any time. That's why Cranford officials characterized the ban as a "pause" to consider all the details.