FREEHOLD – Two applicants are seeking cannabis business licenses in Freehold Borough.
On Feb. 22, the members of the Borough Council passed two resolutions which recognize the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission applications submitted by entities known as Got Your Six of NJ, LLC, and Prest Gunther Family Manufacturing, doing business as PGFM.
Got Your Six of NJ is applying for a personal cannabis retail license at 584 Park Ave. and PGFM is applying for a cannabis manufacturing license at 62 Jerseyville Ave., according to the council’s resolutions.
Representatives of the two entities requested resolutions which indicate their respective properties meet Freehold Borough’s requirements and according to the resolutions, 584 Park Ave. allows for the operation of a cannabis retailer and 62 Jerseyville Ave. allows for the operation of a cannabis manufacturer.
Under the borough’s ordinance pertaining to cannabis businesses, cannabis retailers are permitted to operate in commercial manufacturing zones and modified commercial zones on lots fronting Throckmorton Street, and between the intersection of Throckmorton and Rhea streets west to the borough limits; in office commercial zones, limited professional office zones and general commercial zones on lots fronting Park Avenue (Route 33) and between the intersection of Park Avenue and South Street east to the borough limits; and commercial manufacturing zones and general commercial zones on lots fronting Jerseyville Avenue and between the intersection of Jerseyville Avenue and Parker Street east to the borough limits.
Under the borough’s ordinance, cannabis manufacturers are permitted to operate in the town’s commercial manufacturing district.
The annual license fee for a cannabis retailer is $5,000 and the annual license fee for a cannabis manufacturer is $10,000. Both business types have a 2% business sales tax.
A maximum of two licenses may be issued for each business type. As stated in the council’s resolutions, no cannabis licenses have been issued in Freehold Borough at this time and issuing licenses to Got Your Six of NJ and PGFM would not exceed the municipal limit.
The Borough Council established regulations for cannabis businesses following 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 voters in 2020 approved a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana.
The law legalizes the recreational use (also known as adult use) of 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.
A-21 established six marketplace classes of licensed marijuana businesses: cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer and delivery. All but cannabis delivery businesses are permitted in Freehold Borough; however, the delivery of cannabis products and/or supplies to addresses in Freehold Borough by a delivery service that is based outside the borough may not be prohibited.