Long Branch Plans To Give Out 6 Cannabis Business Licenses

LONG BRANCH, NJ — While some New Jersey towns are pushing back against legal marijuana sales — mostly by passing town ordinances that forbid local pot shops from opening — the city of Long Branch welcomes the industry.

Few other New Jersey towns plan to give out as many licenses as Long Branch will, setting the city up to be a hub for taxable marijuana business in the Garden State.

The city also plans to allow a retail pot shop to open near the Long Branch train station. It does not appear that pot shop will allow on-site marijuana consumption, as it would be granted a Class 5 license (see below).

Last year, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly voted to legalize weed, and the state permitted six different types of marijuana businesses to open. At their Nov. 10 meeting, the Long Branch city Council said it will give out one license for each of those six categories:

• Class 1: Licensed cannabis cultivator or grower
• Class 2: Licensed cannabis manufacturer
• Class 3: Licensed cannabis wholesaler, or a business that only sells marijuana to other businesses and not directly to consumers
• Class 4: Licensed cannabis distributor
• Class 5: Licensed retailer without a cannabis consumption area. That means a store that can sell marijuana, but customers will not be able to consume the pot on premises.
• Class 6: Licensed cannabis delivery service, meaning businesses that provide courier services to deliver cannabis door to door for customers. Think of it like Amazon for weed.

Long Branch is also setting up some rules: It will be illegal to smoke, vape or otherwise consume any marijuana product on a public street, in parks, beaches, boardwalks or in a car.

Long Branch will also establish a transfer tax and user tax on cannabis sales, as well as a 2 percent tax on retail sales and a 1 percent tax on wholesales.

Long Branch's proposed cannabis ordinance will be subject to a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. December 8 in Council chambers, City Hall. You can read the ordinance here: https://evocloud-prod3-public....

Last November, more than 70 percent of New Jersey voters said they approve marijuana being legalized. Then in early 2021, the state said towns have until Aug. 22 to pass local laws banning pot shops, if they so choose. Towns like Middletown and Toms River both banned pot shops from opening within town limits.

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Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com