RED BANK – An applicant is seeking a cannabis license in Red Bank. During a meeting on Feb. 23, members of the Borough Council passed a resolution which acknowledges Scarlet Reserve Room has proposed operating a permitted cannabis business and that its proposal will not exceed the municipal limit for the number of permitted cannabis businesses.
Scarlet Reserve Room is seeking a retail cannabis business license, according to the resolution.
The resolution was requested by representatives of Scarlet Reserve Room as part of an application it will make to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
As stated in the resolution, the operator of a potential cannabis business is required to submit a resolution from the municipality in which the business may be located.
The resolution certifies the municipality has authorized the type of cannabis business license being sought in its jurisdiction and confirms the issuance of the license would not exceed municipal limits for cannabis businesses, if there is a limit.
Red Bank’s resolution provides Scarlet Reserve Room with the necessary information to submit its application to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
Under Red Bank’s ordinance pertaining to cannabis businesses, cannabis retailers are permitted to operate in the Business/Residential-1 zone and in the waterfront development district as a conditional use.
Cannabis retailers may only be located in buildings with other uses if the cannabis business is separated by full walls and has a separate entrance. No more than one cannabis business will be located on a single parcel, according to the ordinance.
According to the ordinance, cannabis retailers must provide a detailed security plan and receive approval of the security plan from the Red Bank Police Department.
Through the ordinance, Red Bank will impose a transfer and user tax to receive 2% of the receipts from each sale by cannabis retailers. The user tax will be imposed on any license holder operating more than one cannabis business.
The Borough Council established regulations for cannabis businesses following the enactment of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, also known as A-21.
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 six business types will be permitted in Red Bank.