The liberty of businesses to sell cannabis could soon be restricted in the Township of Liberty.
A pending ordinance in the rural Warren County municipality calls for amending its municipal code and “prohibiting the operation of any class of cannabis businesses within its geographic boundaries.”
The document says in part that “it is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the Township [of] Liberty’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel, or conduct business in Liberty Township, to amend Liberty Township’s zoning regulations to prohibit all manner of marijuana-related land use and development within the geographic boundaries of Liberty Township.”
The ordinance has similarities to recently introduced ordinances in other New Jersey municipalities and has an exception related to delivery services. This version was introduced by the Liberty Township Committee back on April 1 and is scheduled to be considered for final passage during a meeting on Thursday, May 6, at 7:00 p.m., according to the municipal clerk.
This comes several months after legislation was enacted, authorizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey and generally requiring local governments interested in issuing restrictions to do so within 180 days.
Liberty is located between the townships of Hope and Independence, each of which has discussed recreational cannabis legalization before.
Hope is accepting responses to an online survey through May 1 that asks residents for their opinions regarding future cannabis establishments in order to “help develop ordinances and regulations related to marijuana operations in Hope.”
Meanwhile, a resolution was introduced in Independence back in 2018 that would have “opposed … the legalization of cannabis for recreational use” in New Jersey, but minutes from an Independence Township Committee meeting indicate that measure did not receive enough votes for approval.
