Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is proposing changes to the city’s cannabis dispensary rules, in light of the local cannabis review board approving its first retail cannabis application despite criticism from the public.
In a letter to residents posted on the city’s website, Bhalla went over the recent history regarding the state and the city legalizing marijuana, saying that the legalization “provides not only a substantial economic opportunity for Hoboken, but more importantly, an opportunity for us as a community repair damage that the ‘war on drugs’ caused minority communities in Hoboken.”
Bhalla is proposing amendments to the cannabis ordinances “after a careful review.” They include limiting the number of dispensaries (medical and marijuana) in the city to a maximum of six, and a maximum of three per ward; require notice for residents within 200 feet for a proposed dispensary for a cannabis board meeting; and prohibiting dispensaries from being located 750 feet of any school or early childhood learning facility.