Edison Ordinance Allows Cannabis Businesses To Operate In Town

EDISON, NJ — The Town Council recently introduced an ordinance that would allow certain marijuana businesses to operate within the township. The ordinance not only regulates the number of licensed businesses allowed to operate but also controls the manner, location, and times of operation.

Cannabis businesses that choose to operate in Edison will have to pay large annual licensing fees. A cannabis cultivator must pay $15,000 a year. The fee for a cannabis retailer is $10,000 a year and a manufacturer has to pay $7,500 a year. The annual licensing fee for marijuana distribution is $2,500.

No business is allowed to be located within or on the premises of a grocery store, delicatessen, indoor food market, other food retail store, or liquor stores.

The businesses will be allowed to operate only in the area southeast of Woodbridge Avenue between Amboy Avenue and Mill Road, except for areas zoned for any class of residential use or within 1000 feet of any area zoned for any class of residential use.

According to the ordinance, marijuana retailers will not be allowed to sell alcohol or tobacco products. There will also be no onsite consumption of food, alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis by patrons at the establishment.

The hours of operation for the businesses are limited from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. pm daily. No one under the age of 21 will be allowed inside a licensed cannabis establishment, according to the ordinance.

Any licensed facility engaging in cultivation, processing, or similar operation, will have to provide an air treatment system with sufficient odor-absorbing ventilation and exhaust systems to ensure no odors generated inside the facility are detected outside. These businesses will also have to provide noise mitigation facilities, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance also mandates licensed cannabis businesses to be equipped with security cameras.

Cannabis businesses cannot be located within 1,000 feet of residential use or property in a residential zoning district; within 1,000 feet of a licensed childcare facility, any elementary school, middle school, high school, college or university, public park, or house of worship; within 500 feet of a halfway house or correctional facility; or within 500 feet of another cannabis business.

A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. To read the ordinance, click here. The ordinance is within the July 26 combined meeting agenda.

Municipalities in New Jersey must pass ordinances banning all cannabis businesses or limiting their presence in town by Aug. 22. Once the ordinance is passed, townships can repeal or alter it later.

If they don't pass an ordinance in that time, not only will marijuana businesses be allowed to operate, but local officials won't have another chance to issue a ban for the next five years.

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