Middle Township will introduce an ordinance on July 7 to ban, at least temporarily, all classes of recreational cannabis licenses.
According to a release, the township has supported the pending application of the Insa medical cannabis facility in the municipality and sought public input on permitting dispensaries, but the complexities of state legislation leave too many questions for the township to proceed at this time.
“Since the law to legalize adult-use cannabis passed in February, the township has been doing its due diligence to make the most well-informed decision on this important issue,” Mayor Timothy Donohue stated. “In order to be confident that our plans serve the best interest of the township, we need to fully understand the state regulations and we need a final answer on whether or not the application for a medicinal cannabis facility planned for Indian Trail Road is going to be approved by the state. We still don’t have those answers and the clock is running out on us.”
After New Jersey legalized marijuana, municipalities were given an Aug. 22 deadline to regulate the public use, sales and manufacture of cannabis within their borders.
Middle Township already acted to ban marijuana smoking in public spaces, which is consistent with its regulations on cigarette smoking and alcohol use.