By Chris Rotolo
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – As lines snake around the building outside a new dispensary on Route 35 near Fort Monmouth, a pair of neighboring Bayshore boroughs are deciding the immediate future of the cannabis business within their borders.
During a July 13 council meeting in Highlands, the governing body adopted an ordinance in support of Bridge City Collective LLC to establish an adult-use cannabis dispensary within permitted central business district zones. The borough’s endorsement serves as a mandatory step for the organization to seek licensing from the state, which would then allow Bridge City Collective LLC to apply to receive the borough’s lone cannabis retailer license.
Just three miles north on Route 36, the Atlantic Highlands borough council tabled a July 14 public hearing regarding the adoption of its own ordinance to issue retailer licensing for a cannabis dispensary within its borders.
Though the hearing was rescheduled to Aug. 11, which will allow the borough planning board to complete its due diligence and provide recommendations, community members used their time to question the need for a cannabis facility in town, as well as raise concerns about the type of element such a business would invite to the municipality.
“I’ve spoken to my neighbors, local business owners and other residents and there’s a lot of concern about allowing this type of business here,” borough resident Deborah Trello said. “I’m afraid that we haven’t considered the consequences. What will this do to property values, crime rates, traffic and congestion. What is the impact to our police department? I hope we’re not rushing into this without fully wrapping our minds around it. Smoking pot is legal now. If you want to smoke, that’s certainly your prerogative. It doesn’t mean it needs to be sold in our town.”
In 2020, state voters approved an amendment of the New Jersey Constitution to allow for the legalization of cannabis for adults at least 21 years of age. In February of the following year, that vote was signed into law, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and establishing a regulatory system and licensing process for commercial cannabis operations.
The Atlantic Highlands governing body banned all six possible classes of commercial cannabis licenses in August 2021, citing concerns about the absence of guidance from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission regarding codes and procedures for implementing and administering a commercial cannabis operation. Many other municipalities in the Two River area passed similar bans.
According to Atlantic Highlands’ new ordinance, the borough council has determined that the manufacturing and retail distribution of cannabis “should be permitted in appropriate locations and regulated to protect the health safety and welfare of its citizens.”
“By law, the town is allowed to impose up to a 2% percent tax on all cannabis products sold here, and that’s not just for dispensaries… If people are going to be smoking weed, shouldn’t our town benefit from it?” borough resident Zach Brown argued.
He also noted the potential benefits readily accessible cannabis products could present to drug-addicted individuals living in a greater Bayshore area that has been impacted by the national opioid epidemic.
“Drug addiction is often a disease of despair. We’ve been through a lot the past two years. Many people are not happy about the quality of their lives. People are hurting, and when that happens, some individuals do turn to drugs,” Brown said. “Those who would otherwise turn to opiates and heroin may instead turn to cannabis if it’s accessible. And instead of harming themselves or the community, maybe they’ll sit at home, watch some cartoons and eat cereal. I think we’d all much rather have that.”
Borough resident Paul Barbado believes commercial cannabis is already readily accessible near Atlantic Highlands and that other facilities where it’s available will open in the near future. He disputed the need for such an operation in town.
“We have a community near the beach, with people passing through for the day, and I can just see a lot more problems with our police being tied up with enforcing all the new laws that come with this,” Barbado said. “Enough other towns are having this. About 180 towns in the state are already allowing this. You can get it delivered to your door. It doesn’t make sense to allow a brick-and-mortar dispensary here in such a small community.”
The borough planning board will continue its assessment of the ordinance during its scheduled Aug. 4 meeting. The borough council will then have a week to consider any recommendations before opening a public hearing Aug. 11.
The article originally appeared in the July 21 – 28, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
