By Stephen Appezzato
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Thursday, April 21 marked a historic moment in the Garden State – the launch of the legal adult (age 21 and older) recreational cannabis market. As crowds flocked to New Jersey cannabis dispensaries, Monmouth County has yet to see the retail side of legal adult recreational marijuana.
Following statewide majority support for the decriminalization and introduction of recreational cannabis sales, Gov. Phil Murphy signed The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMM) Feb. 22, 2021. The act decriminalizes the possession of recreational marijuana, outlines recreational use guidelines for adults 21 and over, and defines the new market’s structure. While medicinal cannabis use has been legal since 2010 in New Jersey, Murphy’s approval of the recreational market was met with both support and opposition.
Currently, there are 23 permitted dispensary locations in New Jersey, belonging to 10 companies. Of the 23 locations which previously only sold cannabis for medicinal use, 13 saw approval for recreational sales beginning April 21.
Last Thursday’s opening of the recreational cannabis market drew thousands of new customers to dispensaries and raised inventory and accessibility concerns for medicinal users. But the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) made it a priority to monitor the recreational market opening in an effort to guarantee that medicinal clients maintain access. Furthermore, the NJCRC monitored supply chain logistics to ensure there was enough product to support medicinal and recreational buyers, stating, “No significant patient access issues or supply shortages have been reported.”
According to the NJCRC, “Recreational cannabis customers in New Jersey are now able to buy up to 1 ounce of dried flower or up to 5 grams of concentrates, resins, or oils, or 10 100mg packages of ingestible items in a single transaction.”
As part of CREAMM, New Jersey townships were given until last August to pass municipal-specific prohibitions or regulations.
The majority of Monmouth County towns passed ordinances prohibiting the introduction of commercial cannabis businesses or permit approvals within their boundaries. Some municipalities approved the possibility of future cannabis businesses under strict guidelines, dictating the maximum amount of cannabis businesses that can be approved, as well as zoning regulations and operational policies. Townships that do approve recreational marijuana sales within their boundaries can implement a municipal sales tax of up to 2 percent on the business, on top of the 6.625 percent state sales tax.
Currently Monmouth County has two medicinal-use-only cannabis dispensaries, Garden State Dispensary in Eatontown and Zen Leaf in Neptune. Recreational sales may be offered in the future, contingent on municipal and state guidelines.
“Last week’s official launch of adult use cannabis sales in New Jersey propelled an exciting new industry forward,” said Mayor Nicholas Williams of Neptune. “We have been proud to embrace this opportunity in Neptune Township and are very confident it is going to be the job-creating, revenue-producing success most have predicted.”
Williams noted the town has been “thorough” in reviewing those who are applying to sell recreational cannabis by closely following state guidelines and instituting additional parameters. He said the township committee wants “to make sure that those local entrepreneurs that want to participate in this business have a chance to, but also do so in a way that maintains Neptune Township’s reputation as the premiere community to live and raise a family.”
The town even has a Cannabis Committee that reviews all applications before sending them to the township committee for final approval. “We need to take our time and get it right the first time,” Williams said.
Two River area towns that approved the possibility of future cannabis businesses under strict zoning and operational guidelines include Red Bank and Highlands; Long Branch is also open to it as an option in the future. The Two River Times reached out to those mayors and others for comments but did not receive a response by press time. While municipalities in the area have yet to see any recreational cannabis retailers, they may be keeping an eye on how the businesses fair in other towns around the state before revisiting the issue.
This article originally appeared in the April 28-May 4, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
