Mayor Colleen Mahr told this week’s work meeting of the Borough Council that discussions will begin on whether to allow the licensing of cannabis in the Borough.
When the recreational sale of cannabis to adults in New Jersey became legal in 2021, municipalities were given six months to either opt in or out. If municipalities did not act within those six months, any class of cannabis establishment or distributor would have been permitted to operate in the municipality and, depending on the type of establishment, be considered a permitted use in certain zones.
The Borough Council voted to opt out in 2021 to understand what the extensive rules would be for the industry. Those rules had not been set and the Council wanted to see how municipalities were advancing this idea. Since the Borough opted out during the established time back in 2021, it can now opt in at any point.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has since been established and is the enforcer of the rules and regulations governing the licensing, cultivation, testing, selling, and purchasing of cannabis. Currently, New Jersey is home to 24 dispensaries that sell recreational cannabis, and another 13 shops that sell only medical marijuana.
Mayor Mahr at the June 5th Borough Council work meeting
“We haven’t really had a conversation about cannabis since we opted out,” said Mayor Mahr. She suggested a working group that would include police, the Board of Education, citizens and other stakeholders to explore whether to apply for one or more licenses. She suggested that borough attorney Russ Huegel “gather up sample ordinances” from municipalities that have gone through the process to see how it’s regulated in similar communities and understand the different types of licenses that exist.
Municipalities can enact by ordinance a local cannabis tax of up to 2% for cultivators, manufacturers, and/or retailers and 1% for wholesalers.
In a referendum in 2020, New Jersey voters approved the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis by people ages 21 and older with 67% voting yes and 33% voting no.
