Weed Shops In Morristown? 5 Things To Know About The Town's Proposed Ordinance

MORRISTOWN, NJ — An ordinance that could open the door for cannabis businesses in Morristown made it to Town Council's agenda. The ordinance is set for introduction at Tuesday's virtual meeting.

Subscribe to Patch for local news updates to your inbox. (It's free): https://patch.com/subscribe

Here are five things to know about the proposed ordinance:

Would cannabis dispensaries become legal in Morristown?

The ordinance would allow for up to two medical and/or recreational cannabis businesses to operate in Morristown. A Town Cannabis Advisory Board would review all applicants for local licensing. But Town Council would have the authority to activate, suspend or revoke any licenses.

The Town Cannabis Advisory Board would include the following:

• mayor or designee
• Town Council designee
• director of law
• chief of police
• business administrator

Where would dispensaries be able to operate?

Medical dispensaries and recreational retailers would need to meet several requirements, including the following:

• cannot be within 1,000 feet of an elementary, middle or high school.
• cannot be within 200 feet of a house of worship.
• no outside storage of marijuana products, and no displaying any products within the public right of way.
• consumption of weed, drugs and alcohol in the establishment are prohibited.

When would they be able to operate?

No earlier than 9 a.m. and no later than 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, plus no hours outside of the 12-8 p.m. window on Sunday.

What about tax?

The ordinance would administer a 2 percent transfer tax on all sales or transfers of cannabis products in Morristown weed establishments. The same rate would apply to the purchase price of any medical cannabis from a dispensary within town.

Additionally, a 1 percent transfer tax would occur for each sale by a cannabis wholesaler within town boundaries.

What happens next?

The ordinance, which begins on page 8 of the meeting agenda, is up for introduction. If council members vote to introduce it, then they would vote on whether to adopt the ordinance at a future meeting.

Find instructions here for accessing the meeting.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Morristown Patch Facebook page.