Paramus

While there was no vote on the matter at the August 23 Council meeting, the public and the Council voiced their views on the matter.

"It's not if, but when," Mayor Christopher DiPiazza said. "But when depends on the mood of the community. I'm not sure if when is now."

Several individuals spoke in favor and just as many spoke against the retail sale of cannabis. Currently, medical marijuana is being sold in the borough.

Bergen Community College (BCC) launched new workforce development programs aimed at equipping students with the skills needed to establish themselves in New Jersey’s burgeoning legalized cannabis industry.

In a March 15 press release unveiling the cannabis education programming, BCC President Eric Friedman said the combined offerings position the Paramus-based community college as one of the only learning institutions in the state to sponsor such comprehensive opportunities.

Mayor Richard LaBarbiera presided over his last meeting on December 20, and as he hands the gavel to Christopher DiPiazza, there is a lingering issue about a resolution approving a medical marijuana license during the final council meeting in 2021.

The council discussed rescinding the resolution from a year ago due to a possible nepotism issue.

An ordinance, which sought to amend the borough’s existing medical marijuana cannabis ordinance to include recreation marijuana, did not receive a motion to move forward with a vote at the Wednesday Council meeting.

Mayor Richard LaBarbiera has been an outspoken advocate of bringing recreational marijuana to the borough, frequently posting on social media and discussing it at public meetings.

LaBarbiera said that despite a representative of Rise Dispensaries coming to discuss their experience and financial figures, it all "fell on deaf ears" during the meeting.

The mayor of a Bergen County town says that he is tired of only other municipalities reaping the benefits of New Jersey’s legal marijuana industry. But for now, the Borough Council wants to hold off.

“Once you get past the argument of whether it should be legal, you should embrace it,” says Paramus Mayor Rich LaBarbiera.

The mayor says that he is confident that his town will benefit from the legal cannabis industry for many reasons, and not just the tax revenue it can bring in.

When the pandemic started, medical cannabis dispensaries were deemed "essential businesses" in New Jersey. Green Thumb Industries, which operates two Rise medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, said the categorization of these cannabis businesses as "essential" pushed the industry forward.

The shift from illicit to essential business helped destigmatize the industry, which is now set to expand into recreational cannabis after New Jersey voters chose to legalize marijuana in November.

The Paramus Borough Council took the first step toward prohibiting recreational marijuana dispensaries in an ordinance approved on first reading January 5. The ordinance will undergo a public hearing and final vote to be announced.

In an amended version of its zoning ordinance, the Council voted to prohibit "cannabis/marijuana recreational dispensaries...with the exception of the Highway Corridor Commercial (HCC) Zone District." Medical marijuana is a permitted use, according to the ordinance.

The last public hearing on legalizing marijuana in New Jersey took place Saturday at Bergen County Community College in Paramus.

It marks the fourth public hearing held by the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee to get the people's stance on marijuana legalization.

Experts were also on hand to provide their input. A former DEA agent who now works for a Canadian cannabis company spoke about the experience of legalizing marijuana in Colorado.