Township leaders would support another ban on the sale and distribution of marijuana in town should the need for such a vote occur again.
The state Legislature canceled a vote on statewide marijuana legalization on Monday.
The Township Committee unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale of recreational marijuana in town.
Township Committeeman Rudy Boonstra "wholeheartedly" supported the decision.
"I would support another similar action should it become necessary," Boonstra said.
New Jersey towns that proactively passed local bans on selling marijuana will have to do so again if the bill up for a vote Monday becomes law.
The 175-page bill, dubbed the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act” would allow possession of small amounts of cannabis by adults over 21 and clear the records of those with marijuana-related convictions. It also would lay the framework for regulating and taxing a new billion-dollar industry.
Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, made legalization a major campaign promise and has supported the measure.
Who can use cannabis?
Anyone over the age of 21.
How much will it be taxed?
There will be a $42 per ounce tax on wholesalers. Local municipalities can also impose additional taxes on cannabis businesses, including a 4 percent tax on dispensaries, 2 percent tax on growers and processors and 1 percent tax on wholesalers.
Tax revenue will go towards a Cannabis Regulatory fund to develop, regulate and enforce cannabis industry standards and help balance the state’s general fund.
I have a marijuana charge on my criminal record. Will it be expunged?
In the same week that Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders finally reached a deal on legislation for recreational marijuana, another New Jersey community moved preemptively to block sales of weed.
As of March 2019, there are more than 50 local ordinances banning either all marijuana sales and growth, or just recreational forms of the drug. There are also a couple of resolutions discouraging legalization and one municipal referendum, which showed a narrow divide among residents regarding legal weed.
The Brick Township Council has unanimously voted to ban recreational marijuana in the town.
The council voted just before midnight Tuesday night after town residents on both sides of the issue had a chance to voice their opinion. In the end, the council voted to ban the sale, cultivation, manufacturing and testing of marijuana.
Marijuana has a complicated relationship with the town. The owner of land on Adamston Road where the old Ocean First Bank used to be said that she would give up plans to build a medical marijuana dispensary after opposition from neighbors.
Should New Jersey legislators pass a recreational marijuana bill under Gov. Phil Murphy's legalization plan, new businesses in the cannabis industry will not be able to open shop in Brick.
Shortly after the governor and legislators announced a deal to legalize recreational marijuana use, the Brick Township Council voted unanimously to prohibit sales, manufacturing, cultivation and testing of recreational cannabis throughout the municipality.
Already there are reports from a number of South Jersey communities that marijuana-related companies are trying to gauge the level of interest towns might have in getting involved in the industry. Several municipalities rightly have recognized this could become a hot-button issue and have formed committees to study the matter.
That’s a good move for a number of reasons.
Avalon Borough Council scheduled the public hearing and potential adoption of its proposed marijuana ordinance for Feb. 27, after procedural difficulties had forced the borough to remove consideration of the ordinance from its first meeting that month.
Once again, the ordinance failed to come up for consideration as council formally tabled it. Assistant Business Administrator James Waldron explained that additional changes needed to be made, which would necessitate starting over with the two-step process required for new municipal laws.
The Township Committee plans to introduce an ordinance to prohibit the sale of recreational marijuana within the township.
The proposed bill, which could be introduced as soon as the next committee meeting on Thursday, March 14, would also prohibit the cultivation of cannabis plants in Warren.
Township Attorney Jeffrey Lehrer discussed the issue with the committee at a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 28, as state lawmakers push to legalize the drug.
Blanche Adams, president of the Upper Township Business Association, asked Upper Township Committee Feb. 25, "We've been reading a lot about marijuana dispensaries and that New Jersey will soon be offering them even for recreational use. What is the position of committee and the township and the situation with our land-use controls?"