Jersey City Council Passes First Reading Of Cannabis Regulations

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The cannabis conversation is working its way through the City Council.

At Monday night's meeting, the Jersey City Municipal Council passed the first reading of a cannabis ordinance that included regulations and zoning suggestions from the planning board. Municipalities in New Jersey have until August 21 to enact an ordinance managing cannabis policy in the city for the next five years.

Last month, the planning board approved the regulations that were passed onto the City Council. Under the regulations, cannabis consumption areas would be allowed in the city and exist within a cannabis retail facility — somewhere selling recreational or medical marijuana.

On Monday, the council held a special meeting and deliberated on the allocation of tax funds from cannabis businesses. The discussion focused on whether the schools or social equity programs would best benefit from the money. Councilors Lavarro and Solomon had initially proposed the school component and while several councilors agreed, a social equity component was raised in the meeting as well.

Ward E Councilman Solomon proposed the 50/50 split on Monday night, saying "I’ll just throw out a potential proposal which would be for us to move forward with the tax, say in the tax that our initial allocation would be 50 percent towards education, 50 percent towards social equity – rawly defined, we don’t have to go into specifics," Solomon said, "Then to get that on the books before the August 21st deadline and then for us as a council to work on the creation of committees that will kind of determine the distribution of funds."

The 50/50 split was included in the ordinance that passed the first reading on Wednesday night.

Also Read:

• Jersey City Planning Board Unanimously Approves Cannabis Zoning
• Jersey City Planning Board Begins Retail Cannabis Conversations
• Medical Marijuana Company Submits Plans To Open In Jersey City
• Marijuana Is Now Officially Legal In New Jersey
• Jersey City Can't Decriminalize Marijuana: OAG

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