By Allison Perrine
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – You can’t get high in Atlantic Highlands, for now, at least not with cannabis from a dispensary in the borough.
Last week, the borough council unanimously joined other municipalities in the Two River area in banning recreational cannabis dispensaries and related licenses in town during an Aug. 12 meeting.
The decision came less than two weeks before the state’s Aug. 21 deadline for municipalities to either ban or permit the sale of adult-use cannabis in their towns, but officials made it clear that it’s not really off the table. Councilwoman Lori Hohenleitner, who worked on the issue alongside Councilman Steve Boracchia, even said the subcommittee is “planning to recommend four different licenses for Atlantic Highlands” in the future.
“It’s not dead. It’s just temporarily put off because we just want to make sure (when) we write an ordinance, we think of all the residents, and without having the rules to look at from the state, we really can’t write a proper ordinance. That’s really the issue,” said Boracchia.
The state’s lack of guidance on the issue has been criticized by other leaders throughout the state, including Middletown Township Mayor Tony Perry.
In the November 2020 election, New Jersey voters approved a referendum gaging public interest in legalizing recreational cannabis use for adults 21 and older. Later, in February, Gov. Phil Murphy signed adult-use cannabis reform bills into law, legalizing and regulating cannabis use and possession for anyone 21 and over and decriminalizing the possession of marijuana and hashish.
Since then, the state established a Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) tasked with regulating medicinal and recreational-use marijuana industries, according to the state CRC website, nj.gov/cannabis. But some have argued it has not done enough to help municipal leaders make a clear decision on whether it should permit the industry in their areas.
“The state has not crossed all their Ts and dotted all their Is, and so it doesn’t make sense for us to say yes or no not knowing what the state is going to do,” said Councilman Jon Crowley at the July 22 council meeting when the ordinance was introduced.
In the meantime, Hohenleitner said the borough has drafted multiple versions of legislation permitting adult-use cannabis and related licenses, preparing for when the state regulatory commission releases its guidelines. That way, the borough can be ready by “September or early October to present something,” she said.
During the public hearing on Ordinance No. 18-2021, borough resident Tim Schultheis said he is a “major proponent” of cannabis. Identifying as a former paramedic and infectious disease officer, he said he has brought several individuals to the hospital after overdosing on meth or cocaine but never marijuana.
“I never took anybody to the hospital for smoking pot… I promise you, you’re hurting nobody with marijuana,” said Schultheis. “Weed saved my life. I’ve had open heart surgery, prostate cancer – weed keeps me sane.”
The idea to permit cannabis-related licenses have not been popular among all local leaders. Municipalities including Colts Neck, Little Silver, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Shrewsbury, Sea Bright and Tinton Falls have banned such establishments from opening in their areas. However, when Murphy approved the legislation earlier this year, he noted that marijuana prohibition laws that had been in place for some time had “failed every test of social justice.” It’s partly why he strongly supported the legalization of the substance for adults, he said.
“Maintaining a status quo that allows tens of thousands, disproportionately people of color, to be arrested in New Jersey each year for low-level drug offenses is unjust and indefensible,” said Murphy in a statement. “This November, New Jerseyans voted overwhelmingly in support of creating a well-regulated adult-use cannabis market. Although this process has taken longer than anticipated, I believe it is ending in the right place and will ultimately serve as a national model.
“This legislation will establish an industry that brings equity and economic opportunity to our communities, while establishing minimum standards for safe products and allowing law enforcement to focus their resources on real public safety matters,” he added. “We’re taking a monumental step forward to reduce racial disparities in our criminal justice system, while building a promising new industry and standing on the right side of history.”
The next CRC meeting is scheduled for noon Thursday, Aug. 19. The public can register to speak at the meeting any time before that day at 9 a.m. or can submit written comments to the commission by noon. As listed on the agenda by print time Wednesday, after conducting some routine business, the commission will discuss the adoption of rules related to N.J.S.A. 24:6I-34, applications for permits.
The article originally appeared in the August 19 – 25, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
