CHESTER, NJ — The Chester Township Council will be resuming its discussion on its cannabis business ordinance, when it also transitions back to in-person meetings on Tuesday at Town Hall.
At its last meeting on May 18, the council passed a motion to table its ordinance banning any type of cannabis business operations in Chester Township, by a 3 to 2 vote, with Mayor Marcia Asdal and Councilman Michael Inganamort casting the dissenting votes.
Several members of the public encouraged the council to table the ordinance, one suggesting that recreational marijuana business models have been established already in states like California and Colorado. Two expressed concerns about stigmas attached to cannabis, stating that tabling the ordinance would permit officials and their legal counsel to review zoning questions.
One local resident, who was against the idea of cannabis business operations within the township, said the council should seek input from schools and other groups first.
“I think this is a safeguard for the township,” Asdal reiterated about the ordinance, which was introduced on April 20.
Asdal compared the passage of an ordinance banning these business types for now to an insurance policy, permitting the township time to examine all of its options, with New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission not having given complete guidelines to municipalities yet, she said.
After Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act into law on Feb. 22, municipalities are on the clock to have an ordinance on the books by Aug. 22, either for or against cannabis business operations.
Should a government body pass an ordinance permitting recreational marijuana businesses to operate within its borders, a municipality must stay with its decision for five years. Chester Township and areas like Long Valley have suggested the ordinance could allow a town to explore its options and then pass an ordinance without a time restriction.
In 2018, Chester Township introduced a ban on medical marijuana businesses within its borders.
Inganamort said there was no rush to pass an ordinance permitting cannabis businesses in Chester Township, with residents able to purchase both recreational and medical marijuana from nearby communities. Asdal also said township residents currently have both types delivered to their homes.
“This preserves our right to do it [the prohibition ordinance] on our own terms,” Inganamort added.
“There’s a lot of nuances to it and I think we’re being careful for a good reason,” Asdal also said.
Township attorney John Suminski explained during the meeting, should the council choose to adopt a new ordinance, it must first be introduced at an upcoming council meeting, before referral to the planning board, which would accept or reject it. The absolute latest an ordinance would need to be in the planning board members’ hands, Suminski said, would be 35 days before the public hearing and adoption.
The last chance for a public hearing with the council before the state deadline for an ordinance is Aug. 17, Suminski said.
Click here to listen to the May 18 meeting audio.
Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.
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