ABERDEEN – The Township Council has set July 22 as the date for a public hearing and possible vote on an ordinance that will, if adopted, permit certain cannabis businesses to operate in Aberdeen Township.
Council members unanimously introduced the ordinance during a special meeting on July 8.
A copy of the ordinance describing the regulations associated with the specific types of cannabis businesses that will be permitted to operate in the municipality if the ordinance is adopted was not available for members of the public to read and review.
Township Attorney Jonathan Williams said it was legal for the council members to introduce the ordinance by reading the title of the legislation.
The title of the document is “Ordinance of the Township of Aberdeen adopting an amendment to the Commerce and Transportation Center Redevelopment Plan to permit cannabis establishments, distributors and delivery services.”
Municipal officials said the ordinance would be forwarded to the Planning Board for review.
Members of the public may comment on or ask questions about the cannabis ordinance during the July 22 public hearing.
The potential action in Aberdeen Township follows the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, also known as A-21, which was approved by state legislators in February after New Jersey residents voted in 2020 to approve a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana.
The state legislation legalizes the use of recreational marijuana (also called adult use marijuana) for certain adults, subject to state regulation; it decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana and hashish (a marijuana concentrate); and it removes marijuana as a Schedule I (high potential for abuse) drug.
By Aug. 21, officials in every New Jersey municipality must decide whether any or all of the state’s approved types of cannabis businesses will be permitted to operate within their borders. If local officials do not act, automatic zoning will permit the operation of cannabis businesses in the municipality.
Municipal officials, including those in Aberdeen Township, have the option to issue six types of licenses related to cannabis:
• Cannabis Cultivator license, for facilities involved in growing and cultivating cannabis;
• Cannabis Manufacturer license, for facilities involved in the manufacturing, preparation and packaging of cannabis items;
• Cannabis Wholesaler license, for facilities involved in obtaining and selling cannabis items for later resale by other licensees;
• Cannabis Distributor license, for businesses involved in transporting cannabis plants in bulk from one licensed cultivator to another licensed cultivator, or cannabis items in bulk from any type of licensed cannabis business to another;
• Cannabis Retailer license, for locations at which cannabis items and related supplies are sold to consumers;
• Cannabis Delivery license, for businesses providing courier services for consumer purchases that are fulfilled by a licensed cannabis retailer in order to make deliveries of the purchased items to a consumer; this service would include the ability of a consumer to make a purchase directly through the cannabis delivery service which would be presented by the delivery service for fulfillment by a retailer and then delivered to a consumer.
If municipal officials do not issue a license for a cannabis delivery business that is based in the community, they may not, by law, prohibit the delivery of cannabis and/or cannabis supplies to addresses in the municipality by a delivery service that is licensed in another town.
In other news, municipal officials participated in the grand opening of My CBD Organics, a Cannabidiol products retailer in the Colonial Plaza, 1121 Route 34.
My CBD Organics is a Georgia-based franchisor with nine locations throughout Georgia, North Carolina and New Jersey. The Aberdeen Township store is the second New Jersey location. A shop in Denville opened in October 2019, according to municipal officials.
“My CBD Organics offers a wide selection of premium wellness and beauty products in an inviting, spa-like store environment,” Synergy Capital Partners, LLC, President Brian Judy said. “Those features are enhanced by the presence of knowledgeable customer care representatives who are trained to educate our guests on all the great benefits CBD has to offer.”
Judy co-owns the business with Desiree Uebele. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.