Momentum toward legalization of marijuana continues to grow. That doesn’t mean local officials have to like it. In fact, many of them have taken action to ban the possession of pot, including in states where recreational use is becoming acceptable.
New Jersey lawmakers are widely expected to legalize pot this year. They have determined that the drug is relatively benign and undeserving of criminal penalties. The fact that legalized marijuana sales have helped boost tax revenues in other states doesn’t hurt.
The Brick Township Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing March 12 on an ordinance to ban the retail sale of recreational marijuana in the township.
The ordinance, introduced Tuesday night with five yes votes and one abstention, was met with some comments in favor of it and some opposed, as expected.
A proposal to ban the sale of recreational marijuana drew dozens of attendees to a Township Council meeting on Tuesday, where they argued for more than an hour over the potential merits and possible pitfalls of legal cannabis shops and facilities in the township.
The ordinance is restricted only to recreational sales and cultivation, and its effects – if any – on a proposed medical dispensary and grow house off Adamston Road are unknown. The controversial medical marijuana facility has drawn outrage from neighboring residents and, in recent weeks, has become a personal battle between the residents and owners of the proposed facility – devolving to threats of litigation and police reports filed for harassment.
The governor's promise to legalize the use of recreational marijuana has made residents across the state call for towns to ban it. But Brick officials said they wanted to hold off on making any decisions until there was some clear information on where the state was headed on the topic.
Town officials have apparently decided the time to act is now: an ordinance is on the agenda for a first reading at Tuesday's Township Council meeting to ban recreational marijuana in the Brick.
The Township Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban the sale, cultivation and manufacturing of marijuana for recreational use.
Mayor John G. Ducey confirmed that the Township Council would vote on the ordinance at its regular meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. in town hall at 401 Chambers Bridge Road.
In late November 2018, New Jersey lawmakers in both the Assembly and Senate voted to advance an adult-use bill, marking the first official legislative action on the issue since pro-legalization Gov. Phil Murphy assumed office in 2018. But since their 2016 takeover of the New Jersey legislature, Democrats have expanded qualifying conditions for medical cannabis treatments, licensed more dispensaries and centered criminal justice reform.
All appeared to be going smoothly as Avalon Borough Council prepared Feb. 13 to adopt an ordinance banning marijuana-related business within the borough.
Had it done so, Avalon would have joined about 60 other municipalities in the state which have moved to prohibit marijuana sales, manufacturing, and farming in advance of the likely passage of state legislation to legalize adult recreational marijuana use.
Township officials are the latest in Ocean County to mount an attack against the legalization of recreational marijuana, defiantly opposing Gov. Phil Murphy's efforts to greenlight the pot industry in New Jersey
Barnegat Mayor Alfonso Cirulli is taking an anti-pot petition to churches and residents throughout the township to garner support. Last week, the Township Committee also passed a resolution opposing legalization of recreational use.
Stephen D. Reid wears many hats. He is the Mayor of Point Pleasant Beach and the founder and principal of Stephen Reid Associates, a public affairs and lobbying firm. Reid also happens to be the Executive Director of NJ RAMP, an anti-marijuana lobbying group that is the client of Reid’s lobbying firm.