State Bill Could Override Brick’s Marijuana Ban

After some intense debates, the Brick Township government voted last month to block the sale of marijuana in the town.

Now, as the state gets closer to legalizing it, a provision in the bill has been included that would allow the state to overturn the rulings of individual towns.

Senate Bill 2703 and Assembly Bill 4497 state:

... any ordinance enacted by a local governmental entity prior to the effective date of this section addressing the issue of prohibiting one or more types of cannabis-related activities within the jurisdiction of the local governmental entity is null and void.

More than 50 NJ towns have already said they would ban marijuana sales. If/when the state legalizes it, those towns would have 180 days to basically reboot their efforts to ban it. While things could end up with the same unanimous vote, that 6 month period would cost the town in terms of legal fees, public hearings, and continued debate.

I've spent a majority of my life in Brick, and it surprised me that a town with a porn store across the street from a preschool was so obsessed with "protecting the children" from the "scourge" of marijuana. I could also see the local politicians being stubborn enough to spend another 180 days fighting it, and ending up with the same ban regardless of what the state says.

We'll keep you updated!

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