Proposed Recreational Marijuana Ban Stirring Debate In Brick

BRICK, NJ — If you're going to the Brick Township Council meeting on Tuesday night, expect a crowded room and lots of tension: the council will be considering a ban on the sale and cultivation of recreational marijuana, and people on both sides of the issue are fired up.

The ordinance, up for a first reading and vote, would ban the retail sale, cultivation, manufacturing and testing of marijuana products for recreational use in the township. If approved, it would have a second reading and potential approval vote on March 12. You can read the proposed ordinance at the bottom of this article.

The proposed ordinance comes as state officials continue to wrestle over whether and how to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Though Gov. Phil Murphy campaigned on a promise to legalize it quickly, that has yet to happen.

Some Ocean County towns already have banned the retail sale of marijuana, including Barnegat, Berkeley Township, Lavallette, Seaside Heights and Surf City. In Point Pleasant Beach, the ban covers both recreational and medicinal marijuana. Neighboring Toms River considered an ordinance early in 2018 but tabled it. Read more: NJ Marijuana Legalization Delayed, Again, As More Towns Ban It

The issue has been particularly heated in Brick since October, when a proposal went before the Board of Adjustment for a medical marijuana dispensary in the former Ocean First bank on Adamston Road. Facebook groups opposing and supporting the proposal have been daily battlegrounds rife with name-calling and even threats in some cases.

Some of those battles carried over to the Facebook Live that Mayor John G. Ducey held on Tuesday morning, ahead of Tuesday's council meeting, overwhelming the 30-minute session Ducey holds typically twice a month to hear directly from township residents on a variety of issues. You can watch the replay below.

The Township Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. and the proposed ordinance is near the end of the agenda.

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