Pot Businesses OK In Freehold Borough, Council Says

FREEHOLD, NJ - The primary governing body of Freehold Borough has decided that cannabis businesses - including distributors, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and cultivators - may operate within borough limits.

During a July 19 meeting, the council adopted the ordinance to establish where cannabis businesses may open and how businesses can receive a license. The motion to adopt was voted 4-1, with councilwoman Sharon Shutzer serving as the sole “no” vote.

Delivery businesses will not be allowed to operate in the borough, although the delivery of cannabis products and supplies to Freehold addresses by a delivery service based outside the borough may not be prohibited. Cultivators, distributors, manufacturers and wholesalers will only be permitted to operate in the town’s commercial manufacturing district.

Per the legislation, cannabis retailers will be allowed in the following areas:

• In commercial manufacturing and modified commercial manufacturing zones on lots fronting Throckmorton Street and between the intersection of Throckmorton Street and Rhea Street west to borough limits
• Office commercial, limited professional office and general commercial zones on lots fronting Park Avenue and between the intersection of Park Avenue and South Street east to the borough limits
• Commercial manufacturing and general commercial zones on lots fronting Jerseyville Avenue and between the intersection of Jerseyville Avenue and Parker Street east to the borough limits

Each business would be limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. operating hours. Processing and cultivation facilities must provide air treatment systems with “sufficient odor absorbing ventilation” and exhaust systems, as well as noise mitigation systems.

All sites must also have at least one security guard as well as security cameras covering all parking, loading, storage and interior spaces open to the public or used for production of cannabis products. Facilities must provide Freehold Borough police with access to security footage upon request.

Cannabis retailers will not be allowed within 200 feet of a correctional facility, 250 feet of a childcare facility or 500 feet of a school. All businesses shall conduct operations indoors only.

Cultivators and manufacturers in the borough would have to pay an annual $10,000 license fee, while cannabis wholesalers, distributors and retailers would be required to shell out a $5,000 license fee annually. A maximum of two licenses will be issued for each business type.

Cultivators, manufacturers, distributors and retailers would each have a 2 percent business sales tax, while wholesalers would have a 1 percent business sales tax in the borough.

Cannabis businesses themselves also won’t be allowed to sell alcohol or tobacco products, nor would on-site consumption of food, alcohol, tobacco or cannabis products be permitted.
Cannabis consumption areas will not be permitted in the borough, per the ordinance.

According to Mayor Kevin Kane, when New Jersey voters were presented with the November 2020 referendum question regarding whether or not to legalize marijuana in the state, over 70 percent of Freehold Borough residents said yes.