Old Bridge Township

The Township Council has again banned recreational and medical marijuana businesses that manufacture, sell or dispense weed-related paraphernalia from operating here.

The council approved an ordinance at its Tuesday meeting that amends the "prohibited uses" section in the land development code. Councilwoman Edina Brown voted against the ordinance, and Councilman John Murphy III abstained. Councilman Mark Razzoli was not present.

In Middlesex County, Old Bridge chose to opt out, but may consider a new zoning ordinance to allow sales later, since it’s such a large township.

“The message coming out of Trenton is not very clear,” said Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry. “Obviously, we’re concerned with close to schools, close to houses of worship, close to shopping centers. We don’t want to create, you know, hangouts.”

The much smaller village of Ridgewood in Bergen County is leaning toward a ban.

“Did Ridgewood overwhelmingly vote for legal marijuana?” Baker asked Mayor Susan Knudsen.

Many New Jersey cities and towns are not waiting for the state to legalize recreational cannabis before enacting ordinances to regulate it.

In December, Point Pleasant Beach voted to ban sales of both medicinal and recreational marijuana. The Point Pleasant Beach cannabis ordinance prohibits businesses from selling medicinal or recreational marijuana within a quarter-mile of schools, churches, residential areas and marine commercial and general commercial districts. Doing so effectively bans all sales within town limits.

An ordinance that bans businesses from the sale, distribution, cultivation and facilitating the use of recreation and or medicinal marijuana was approved on second reading by the Township Council at Monday's meeting.

The ordinance amends the land development code's "prohibited use" section to include "businesses selling, distributing, cultivating, growing and/or facilitating the sale and/or use of either recreation and or medicinal marijuana, including any ancillary or related paraphernalia."

Marijuana legalization has been one of the hottest issues in New Jersey since Phil Murphy took over in Trenton this year. At first he said he'd get it done in 100 days. Last week he walked that back, saying he wanted legalization by the end of the year.