
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Mayor Bruce Packer commented on Facebook New Jersey’s effort to Legalize Marijuana , “I realize that this is quite a hot button issue in our state so if you are not aware, the NJ Senate and Assembly will be holding a joint hearing on Monday on Senate bill 2703, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act.
Any legislation will include an ‘opt out’ provision that would allow municipalities to opt out of the legal sale of marijuana. This is a complicated and ever changing issue and any questions or comment should be directed to our state legislators.As far as Glen Rock is concerned, it is premature for us to make any decisions with regard to opting out but we will have plenty of time to have that discussion once we know what happens at the state level.
The banning ordinances that were passed in many municipalities to date have no impact on the potential ‘opt out’ provision and are, effectively, meaningless from a legal perspective. We will all have to go through the same process to opt out if the state legislation is passed, irrespective of any ordinances that were passed prior to the new law.”