Weed Bill's Voiding Of Town Bans No Big Deal: Point Beach Mayor

A provision in the pending legislation to legalize marijuana in New Jersey that would void bans already passed by towns is "not a big deal," according to one mayor who's also helping to spearhead the fight against legalization.

Stephen Reid, the mayor of Point Pleasant Beach who also is the executive director of NJ RAMP (New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy), said the language that was inserted into Senate Bill 2703 before the March 18 committee vote is not a deterrent for towns that already have passed ordinances banning marijuana dispensaries, cultivation or manufacturing.

"It's part of doing business," Reid said. Point Pleasant Beach was the first town in the state to ban marijuana dispensaries of any kind, back in December 2017. "This doesn't change anything."

A total of 70 towns have passed ordinances banning marijuana, some banning only recreational, while others have banned both recreational and medicinal facilities.

In Brick Township, where the council just passed a ban on retail sales, cultivation, manufacturing and testing of marijuana for recreational use, Mayor John Ducey had a similar response about the potential void.

"This isn't going to change the council's mind," Ducey said. "We pretty much know what everyone in Brick thinks" on the issue.

Both the Senate (S2703) and Assembly (A4497) versions of the bill have been scheduled for a vote Monday; the Senate session begins at noon and the Assembly at 1 p.m. If the bills both pass, they would go to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature.

Reid said normally state legislation automatically supersedes local laws, but with marijuana legalization, the initial plan was to respect home rule. The previous version of the bill had given towns 60 days to decide following passage of the law, but the new language, to not only void previously passed ordinances but also extending the timeframe to pass a ban to 180 days, was a recent edition.

A message left for Sen. Nicholas Scutari, the primary sponsor of S2703, seeking an explanation of the move to void ordinances was not immediately returned.

"Why they did that, I don't know," Reid said. More concerning to him, however, was the change that would allow people to consume marijuana — whether by smoking it, vaping it or via edibles — in "smoking lounges" at the dispensary. The bill also contains an exception to New Jersey's Clean Air Act to allow for smoking outdoors.

Edibles in particular concern Reid, because they mimic harmless substances, like gummy bears or brownies, and can be very attractive to children. There have been multiple incidents where children 12 or younger have been sickened from eating gummies laced with THC, the ingredient in marijuana that causes the high. Reid said in Colorado, one of the first states to legalize cannabis, there is a rising problem with kids as young as 12 using marijuana in edible form.

The increase in vaping among teens is a big concern as well, he said. The marijuana that was passed around and smoked years ago was mild compared to what's available now, with THC concentrations of as much as 30 to 40 percent.

"This is Big Tobacco all over again," Reid said, referring to the push that occurred in the 1950s and '60s that glamorized tobacco use and smoking. "The black market isn't going anywhere, either."

That's why, he said, having to pass new ordinances to ban marijuana is the least of his concerns. The cost is minimal compared with the costs of having to train additional police officers to be drug recognition experts, so they can determine whether someone is driving under the influence of marijuana, one of many additional costs towns will face.

"The state promised to pay for the training for the additional officers, but we all know how that goes," he said.

The return to towns on allowing the dispensaries will be minimal, Reid said. "Every dollar raised costs $4," he said. "You're looking at millions and you'll maybe get $200,000 back."

"This is government gone bad," Reid said.

If the bill passes — Reid said as of Friday he believed they did not have enough votes to pass it — any municipality that wants to put a ban in place will have 180 to enact it once the rules and regulations are set. But what that translates to in terms of a time certain is not clear.

"They (state legislators) don't know what they're talking about," Reid said, referring to changes that have been made to the bill. "The more legislators and mayors find out what can happen the more they're going to say no to this."

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