Members of the Borough Council in Eatontown are backing a family’s application to sell medicinal marijuana at an alternative treatment center that could be opened and operated in the municipality.
A resolution outlining the matter must now be created and submitted to state officials for approval. Action will be carried out by council members after the documents are reviewed, and potentially approved, by state officials.
On Aug. 8, the governing body was approached by Ocean Township resident Peter Corallo, who is seeking municipal approval to open and operate a holistic treatment center in Eatontown.
The proposed business would specialize in the sale of medicinal cannabis to treat illnesses that have been diagnosed by medical professionals, Corallo said.
The proposed facility would operate in a commercial space near Industrial Way, off Route 35. Corallo said his family plans to purchase the building if its application to open the alternative treatment center is approved by state officials.
Corallo said opening an alternative treatment center in Monmouth County would be ideal because other such centers where medicinal marijuana may be obtained with a prescription are not nearby.
The proposed business would require investments from private loans, Corallo said, because banks do not yet fund businesses that distribute substances that are not yet legal in all instances. State law permits the sale of marijuana by approved alternative treatment centers to individuals who have certain medical conditions.
“(State officials) will be tracking this inventory from seed to sale,” Corallo said. “This would be a very, very controlled environment.”
Councilman Anthony Talerico said the Eatontown property could be rezoned to accommodate the business. An application that conforms to zoning regulations would have to be brought before the borough’s Planning Board for a public hearing.
Mayor Denis Connelly said that he is not opposed to the sale of medicinal marijuana, but took issue with the idea of operating an alternative treatment center in town. He said opening a business that specializes in the sale of medicinal marijuana is not a good idea.
Connelly said he would not sign a letter supporting the proposal, but said he would leave the decision up to the council members and allow a member of the governing body to sign the document, if they chose to do so.
Council President Patricia May and council members Virginia East, Albert Baginsky, Bridget Harris, Jennifer Sherrod and Talerico voted to support Corallo’s pursuit of an alternative treatment center at the state level. The mayor does not vote on council business.
“I certainly support medical marijuana,” Baginsky said. “The state seems to want to see support from the community … As far as I know, you (Corallo) are the only company to do the due diligence … I feel the knowledge of the community and the integration is an integral part of the relationship.”
Corallo, who is a business owner in Eatontown, said the “highly regulated environment” of an alternative treatment center would provide individuals with an option that would allow them to cope with a chronic illnesses with which they may be living.
He said the proposed business would not distribute marijuana for what is referred to as recreational use or adult use.
The medicinal marijuana would be available in a variety of forms, he said.
“This is medicinal use only. (Individuals) will have to be 21 or older (to receive marijuana). They will need an ID. They will need a card that says they have a condition that qualifies them to get this particular medicine,” Corallo said.
Corallo said the natural alternative could be favorable for patients who have not benefited from taking other medications that have been prescribed by a medical professional.
Corallo’s son, P.J., who has been diagnosed with diabetes, uses medicinal cannabis to regulate his blood sugar level. Corallo and his wife said they want to help people cope with their own illnesses and said their son is a driving force in that process.