Comparing the implementation of current regulations to building an airplane while trying to fly it, and voicing concerns that too much is happening too quickly for the burgeoning industry, The Jersey City Municipal Council appears to take breath when it comes to approving operations for cannabis businesses.
“We need to halt and have a meeting to clarify as to how to move forward,” Council President Joyce Watterman said this week, highlighting the confusion in which four governmental bodies – the state, the local cannabis board, the planning board and the city council, have a role to play in the approval of any cannabis related business.
While the original ordinance set up boundaries for where businesses could be located, it appears that many already approved, or in the process of being approved, are in violation of the 600-foot rule, meaning how closely these businesses can operate to each other. At least four along or near Central Avenue in Jersey City Heights are in violation, officials said.