Legal marijuana sales will start in New Jersey within the next six months — but a majority of towns are likely to just say no to weed for now.
The legal cannabis law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this year gave municipalities the power to decide if they would allow, restrict or altogether ban the sale of cannabis in their borders. But without a blueprint to follow, many cities and towns have decided to opt out of allowing cannabis businesses, at least for now.
NJ Advance Media has spent the past few months tracking ordinances passed by municipalities across the Garden State. We have monitored press releases, municipal ordinances, news stories and cross-referenced the list with others to compile a full report.
While residents in all but two municipalities voted to legalize cannabis last November, far more local councils have put on the brakes. At least 280 local governments (about half in the state) have passed ordinances banning cannabis sales or have shown they are inclined to do so.
They don’t necessarily fall into one category.
Some of the state’s larger cities that lean heavily Democratic have banned legal cannabis sales, including Camden and Paterson. Trenton first planned to ban dispensaries from setting up shop downtown, (even though unlicensed NJ Weedman already openly sells on State Street from his restaurant, Weedman’s Joint) but reversed course Thursday, just two days before the deadline. [Read More @ NJ.com]
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