The Verona Township Council last week passed and ordinance banning all cannabis-related businesses in the municipality.
The ordinance does not mean that such commerce is permanently banned, but is actually a way for the township to buy some time and keep its options open while complying with the state of New Jersey's insistence that a municipality state its intention to opt in or out by Aug. 21.
Michael Nochimson: I was totally against the dispensary. I know the people who own that property very well, and we’re trying to get something in there that’s going to be very beneficial to Verona, you know. Unfortunately Rolex USA was looking to go in there, Starbucks was looking to go in there, but we couldn’t get a left turn into there and we’re working on getting a left turn onto Claremont, and we’re working with the DOT [Department of Transportation], and we’re working with the county, and Verona.
Verona Mayor Jack McEvoy updated the Township Council on the status of marijuana legalization and how it would impact the municipality at its virtual meeting last week.
New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment on Election Day, with about 67 percent voting to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years and older. The measure doesn’t go into effect until Jan. 1, and as of now, it is still not legal to possess marijuana.
In February, GTI New Jersey approached the Township of Verona seeking a letter of support for the proposal by GTI New Jersey, LLC to locate a satellite Alternate Treatment Center cannabis dispensary at 30 Pompton Avenue. This is one of the first steps that an approved business like GTI must take before opening a dispensary at a chosen location. The Township entered into negotiations with GTI in an effort to determine whether GTI would agree to execute a written agreement with terms and conditions satisfactory to the Township.
After a long impasse, the township and a medical marijuana dispensary have ended negotiations, meaning there will be no dispensary on Pompton Avenue.
GTI New Jersey reached out to the township in February seeking support for a dispensary in the former Chase Bank at 30 Pompton Avenue.
When the meeting opened for general public comment, many of the callers were again people opposed to the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary at the corner of Pompton and Claremont avenues. Under state law, anyone looking to open such a dispensary must have a so-called letter of support from the government of the town in which the facility will be operated in order to open.
At its last meeting, the Verona Township Council considered a request by Green Thumb Industries (GTI) New Jersey, LLC for a medical cannabis dispensary.
GTI New Jersey, which opened a dispensary in the city of Paterson less than two years ago, has asked the Verona Township Council to write a letter of support for a dispensary that would be located at 30 Pompton Ave., the former Chase Bank location.
The Town Council will meet on Monday, June 8, but it has postponed any action on the proposed medical marijuana dispensary until its next meeting on June 22.
The Verona Town Council opened the floor for community input during Thursday evening’s virtual council meeting to gauge public opinion on a current proposal to open a medical marijuana dispensary in town at 30 Pompton Avenue.
Submitted by njlegalizeme on Sun, 09/09/2018 - 21:29