By Allison Perrine
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – To put it bluntly, Atlantic Highlands residents have strong opinions about cannabis operations moving into their town.
Last Thursday, the council held a workshop discussion on the topic to gauge how residents feel about potentially rolling out an ordinance that would allow for cannabis-related businesses to operate in the borough since the state legalized the substance in 2021.
Some advocated that the borough should grant permits to those wishing to grow and sell cannabis for adult use, which could in turn bring money to the town through taxes on the products.
Others, such as resident Valerie Barradale, called the idea “ludicrous.”
“Sure, it’s a great way to make revenue, but you’re going to pay the price down the road,” she said. “Medical marijuana? I get it. But recreational? Uh-uh. I think it’s insane.”
At the start of the discussion, council members Lori Hohenleitner and Stephen Boracchia outlined the six classes of licenses available through the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission which could be permitted. They include licenses allowing entities to grow, store, manufacture, transport or deliver, sell or test cannabis and cannabis products. Any or all types of licenses could be granted.
Hohenleitner assured that there are more meetings to come and the public has time to voice their opinions before any actions are taken.
“We’re here to lay out just an overview of what’s possible and to hear from you, the public – both here and at home – your opinion,” said Hohenleitner.
She noted that before the meeting, the borough’s task force on the topic studied other Monmouth County municipalities that have approved at least one of the six available permits for cannabis businesses, including Aberdeen, Freehold Borough, Highlands, Matawan, Neptune, Neptune City, Ocean Township and Red Bank, to name a few.
“Eventually we’ll come out with what’s right for Atlantic Highlands,” she said.
And according to resident Ellen Bollinger, only medicinal marijuana is appropriate for the borough. Speaking as a medical marijuana patient, Bollinger urged officials to “strongly consider” the impacts cannabis can have on those who use it.
“The plant is pretty powerful,” she said, adding that “serious diseases can be ameliorated through its use,” she said. “This is something the public has voted for, not only statewide but in our town. I think the tax revenues can benefit us and in terms of being of example for children, I don’t know of anything that is considered less cool by young people than grandparents doing something. So I think educating students and young people on the developing brain being affected by this medicine into the early 20s would be a very beneficial program for us.”
On the other hand, resident Morgan Spicer said cannabis saved her life when she was battling mental health issues.
“Most of you who really hate cannabis have actually never tried it. That’s just a fact… If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Don’t spend money at businesses that sell it. But if you do want it, you have freedom of choice; you should be able to spend your money wherever you want,” said Spicer. “I think that without it, I would not be a contributing member of society… I would love to be able to purchase it here knowing that my money is going to our taxes.”
Similar yet simple sentiments were echoed by resident Ashley Cruz, who said she supports any of the licenses the town is considering.
“Cannabis is not a bad substance, everyone,” Cruz said.
Resident and former mayor Randi LeGrice said, for a 1.26-square-mile town, she feels there’s no appropriate place to open a cannabis business or dispensary.
“I think our town is too small. We have children who walk and bike to school every day and leave school that way. I just don’t see any part of town that would qualify as being somewhat distant from the general public, and particularly children,” she said. “For that reason – and that reason only – I don’t think that kind of business belongs in our town.”
Richard Colangelo, a father of two, said that although he understands there are liquor stores in town, “it doesn’t mean I have to like that either.”
“If any portion of this is approved,” he said, the council should consider limiting dispensaries “to the light industrial zone away from where the preteens all hang out.”
The borough revisited the topic last Thursday after it banned recreational cannabis dispensaries and related licenses in town in August, knowing that decision might change when it did so. At that time, municipalities had a mere few weeks to decide whether or not they would ban or permit the sale of adult-use cannabis in their towns at a time when several leaders throughout the state argued that they lacked guidance from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission on the issue.
“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,” Boracchia said at the time.
The article originally appeared in the February 17 – 23, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
