RUMSON – Borough Council members have taken action to prohibit the operation of cannabis businesses in Rumson.
On July 13, council members adopted an ordinance that will prohibit all six types of cannabis businesses that are eligible to receive a license to operate in New Jersey from operating in Rumson. The ordinance amends the development regulations of the borough’s code to make the prohibition official.
The Borough Council’s action follows the enactment of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, also known as A-21, which was passed by state legislators in February after New Jersey voters in 2020 approved a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana.
The legislation legalizes the recreational use (also known as adult use) of marijuana by 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.
A-21 established six marketplace classes of licensed marijuana businesses in New Jersey: cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer and delivery.
As noted in the ordinance, the state legislation allows municipal officials to prohibit the operation of cannabis businesses in their town. The prohibition must be adopted by Aug. 21, otherwise, cannabis businesses will be permitted in the municipality for a five-year period.
While all cannabis establishments, distributors and delivery services are prohibited from operating in Rumson, the ordinance does not the prohibit the delivery of cannabis items and/or related supplies by a licensed cannabis delivery service that is based and initiated outside of Rumson.
Writing in the ordinance, municipal officials said, “The Borough of Rumson has determined that, due to the detrimental impacts that permitting one or more classes of cannabis business might have on New Jersey municipalities in general, and on our community in particular, it is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the borough’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel or conduct business in Rumson, to amend the regulations to prohibit all manner of cannabis/marijuana-related within the geographic boundaries of Rumson.”