"We're not interested in prohibiting, it's just until we can figure out the zoning — where we can and cannot allow it," said Geoghegan.
Howell joins a host of New Jersey cities and towns acting in the same fashion, buying time until they can tailor their own land-use rules, or outright banning weed businesses altogether.
"Towns are banning it only because the state said, 'you have six months to figure out what you're going to do with this,' and unfortunately government doesn't move that quickly," said Geoghegan.
Howell residents voted 63% in favor of legalizing marijuana in a November ballot measure. Statewide, 67% of residents voted in favor of the ballot measure.