The fallout from proposed medical marijuana facilities continues as allegations fly.
At the Jan. 5 meeting of the Upper Freehold Township Committee, Deputy Mayor SteveAlexander said he would like the governing body to authorize a letter to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), which oversees the medical marijuana program, to suspend implementation of the entire program.
The Township Committee unanimously voted Dec. 15 to prohibit any business that does not comply with federal law from presenting applications before any municipal boards or officials. The ordinance was a result of Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center’s (BATC) proposal to establish a facility to grow medical marijuana in the town. Although medical marijuana use is permitted in New Jersey, it is still illegal on the federal level.
Later that month, neighboring Plumsted Township passed a similar ordinance with a 3-2 vote. Howell’s governing body followed suit shortly thereafter. In this recent move, Alexander stated that Ocean Township-based BATC submitted its application to the DHSS using false information.
Alexander referred to a statement posted on the website of Good Tree Farm of Plumsted by Dr. Hisham Moharram, Good Tree Farm’s chief executive officer.
In the statement, Moharram contends that BATC contacted Good Tree Farm last February, a few days before the deadline to submit an application for a medical marijuana license, asking to lease the farm’s land for cultivation of marijuana under state rules.
The statement alleges that Good Tree Farm management contacted BATC March 3 and told them the company could not lease the land.
Moharram alleges that when he read the application submitted to the DHSS by BATC, “he found that BATC had, in fact, misrepresented the situation and made utterly false claims and suggestions in their application with respect to the involvement and role of Dr. Moharram and Good Tree Farm.”
Jon Fisher, an attorney for and director of the BATC, said there was “nothing true” about Moharram’s statement. He provided a Feb. 11 letter from Moharram to Alexander Zaleski, a principal in BATC, which was included in the application. The letter states that Good Tree Farm has decided to make an initial commitment to lease acreage to “your business venture to produce medical marijuana under the laws, rules and regulations of the state of New Jersey as outlined in the N.J. Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.”
“Please use this initial commitment letter in yourAlternative Treatment Center submission to the state,” the letter states.
Fisher alleges that after BATC was approved, Moharram offered a lease that was almost 10 times the going rate and was more expensive per acre than purchasing land.
“The fact that he is pretending he never authorized us to mention his farm in our application is legally actionable,” Fisher said. According to his statement, Moharram alleges that BATC only wanted to use his scientific achievements and qualifications at Good Tree Farm and the farm’s good standing with township, county and state officials to submit an application “that is strengthened by lies in order to get their license.”
It goes on to state that Moharram and the farm’s investors have made a formal and official request that BATC is investigated for criminal fraud and misrepresentation, and that its medical marijuana license be immediately revoked.
At the Jan. 5 meeting, Mayor LoriSue Horsnall Mount said she has made repeated phone calls to Gov. Chris Christie, asking to talk with him about medical marijuana issues.
“I think it’s time for Chris Christie to come back to New Jersey,” she said. “I think it is time for him to recognize his constituents.”