MILLSTONE – Township Committee members are taking action to prohibit the operation of marijuana businesses in Millstone Township.
On June 16, committee members introduced an ordinance that will, if adopted, prohibit all marijuana establishments, cultivators, distributors and delivery services from operating in Millstone.
The delivery of cannabis items and related supplies to local addresses by a delivery service that is based outside of Millstone Township will be permitted.
The ordinance will amend the municipal code and add cannabis establishments, distributors and delivery services as prohibited uses in all zoning districts.
A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for July 21. Residents and other interested parties may comment on the proposed ordinance at that time. The committee members may adopt the ordinance that evening.
The committee’s introduction of the ordinance follows the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, also known as A-21, which was passed by state legislators in February after New Jersey voters in 2020 approved a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana.
The legislation legalizes the recreational use (also known as adult use) of marijuana for certain adults, subject to state regulation; it decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana and hashish (a marijuana concentrate); and it removes marijuana as a Schedule I (high potential for abuse) drug.
According to Millstone’s ordinance, the state legislation established six marketplace classes of licensed marijuana businesses: cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer and delivery.
As noted in the ordinance, the state legislation allows municipalities to prohibit the operation of marijuana businesses within their borders. The prohibition must be adopted by Aug. 22, otherwise, automatic zoning will occur for cannabis business for a five-year period in the municipality.
