The township plans to address recreational marijuana with a two-pronged approach by limiting sales to the existing medical marijuana dispensary on Route 1 and limiting manufacturing, wholesalers and distributors to the township’s light and heavy industrial zones.
"The medical marijuana store is automatically approved to sell recreational marijuana, and that's OK by us, but we are limiting it to that," Mayor John E. McCormac said while adding the township had no discretion over the dispensary.
Garden State Dispensary, with locations in Union and Eatontown, opened in November 2013 on northbound Route 1 and was licensed under the 2010 New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.
"It took some getting used to the first couple of months, but since then I haven't heard a peep from anyone against what they are doing," McCormac said. "They have been there for years. They have been a great neighbor and they employ a lot of people. We have not had any issues with them whatsoever."