Livingston Council Votes: No Marijuana Businesses, For Now

LIVINGSTON, NJ — In a near-unanimous vote, the Livingston Council has agreed to temporarily ban cannabis businesses from operating in town.

Earlier this week, the council passed ordinance 18-2021 on second reading, prohibiting all six classes of cannabis businesses from operating in Livingston: cultivation, manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, delivery services and retail.

Watch a video of Monday’s council meeting below.

“We do plan on moving forward in some capacity I expect, but for now we're just opting out so we can take our time and make sure that things are done in the way we want them done,” Livingston Mayor Shawn Klein recently said during a meet-the-mayors event in Essex County.

Michael Vieira, the only council member to vote against the ordinance, previously said it would go against the will of the voters if Livingston chooses to "opt-out" of the state's recently passed recreational cannabis laws.

Vieira pointed out that 17,391 Livingston residents cast votes on a ballot question in the 2020 general election that legalized cannabis in New Jersey. Out of those local residents, 11,339 voted in favor of legalization while only 6,052 voted against it.

• See related article: Livingston Advances Potential Ban On Marijuana Businesses

New Jersey voters approved recreational marijuana in November 2020. But it wasn't legal to fire up the bong until Gov. Phil Murphy signed the official framework into law on Feb. 22.

Now, adults 21 and over are allowed to consume cannabis on private property. Read More: 5 Things You Need To Know About Marijuana Legalization In NJ

When state lawmakers crafted the legalization bill, they left room for municipalities to ban or limit the number of cannabis businesses operating in their communities. Town governments have until Aug. 21 to pass a law banning cannabis businesses. They will be able to repeal or alter their ordinances afterwards. 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 a period of five years. Read More: Marijuana Is Legal In NJ. But Can Towns Still Ban It?

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