Cannabis business findings released
Editor’s note: A number of neighboring communities, including Ocean City, Upper Township and Linwood, have voted not to allow recreational cannabis businesses. Others, including Egg Harbor Township and Lower Township, have decided to allow cannabis businesses.
SOMERS POINT — City Council is not ready to decide whether it wants cannabis-related businesses to operate in Somers Point.
Council President Janice Johnston formed an ad hoc committee June 9 to further study the possible pros and cons.
Councilwoman Karen Bruno and Councilman Joe McCarrie, who both volunteered to take part, were joined by Councilman Rich DePamphilis. Johnston volunteered the freshman councilman after no one else threw their hat in the ring.
The Economic Development Advisory Commission had been studying the issue for more than a year, Chairman John Helbig reported as he detailed the steps taken to study the issue and gauge public opinion.
Helbig said the EDAC has been researching the topic since the statewide referendum passed in 2020 approving decriminalization, recreational use and a statewide marketplace for its production and sale. The issue passed with a two-thirds majority statewide; the vote in Somers Point mirrored the state.
As the Cannabis Regulatory Commission was establishing rules for the legal production and sale of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2021, every municipality in the state had to choose whether to prohibit, allow or otherwise restrict the businesses or be subject to what the state dictated for five years.
City Council, like most in the state, voted to prohibit all such businesses ahead of a predetermined deadline in a move to maintain local control, but with a clear intent to follow up after determining what the residents want.
While municipalities had to opt out by a certain date, they can opt in at any time.
Johnston said at the time that prohibiting would give the city an opportunity to research the topic and “find out what the people want.”
The city charged the EDAC with determining what residents and other stakeholders want.
“After the constitutional question passed in 2020, I offered to our committee whether we should take this up as a question for Somers Point,” Helbig said. “How is this going to affect Somers Point in the future? Should we allow this? What types and what are the regulations you can put in place?”
Helbig said Johnston and Councilman Mike Owen can attest to how many hours were spent on the topic, which he said many people have strong feelings about on both sides.
He said members of the EDAC visited The Botantist, a medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township that recently was approved for recreational sales.
The dispensary’s director of security, a retired State Police trooper, spoke at a meeting of the commission, explaining the legal aspects of an operation.
“There are a lot of moving parts to the regulations … while the state has provided a framework through the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, they’re really leaving it up to the municipalities to decide what’s best,” Helbig said.
To try to gauge public opinion, the EDAC created a survey that was available on the city’s website for 49 days. Helbig said 127 people responded and the results were very similar to the vote on the referendum, with 68 percent in favor of allowing cannabis businesses and 32 percent against.
In addition, a straw poll of the nine voting EDAC members resulted in eight voting for moving forward with allowing the businesses and one voting to keep the prohibition. He said the members have diverse backgrounds and looked at the issue “from different perspectives.”
“The consensus of EDAC is we should not close the door on the issue,” Helbig said.
City engineer Greg Schneider created a zoning map showing where the businesses could be located and what types of facilities would be permitted. Helbig said there is not a lot of space for manufacturing, production or distribution, but retail would fit nicely in the city.
Johnston commended the EDAC for its effort.
“They were very, very thorough and looked at all sides of the issue and spent many, many hours in discussion,” she said.
Councilman Sean McGuigan asked if there were any studies done on the economic impact to other businesses of allowing cannabis operations.
Noting it’s a new industry in New Jersey, Helbig said any studies likely would have been conducted in other states.
McGuigan suggested looking into those studies as the city moves forward.
Johnston said it’s hard to know what’s true.
“That’s the complication. You can read one thing on one side of the fence one day and the next day it’s the other side, so it’s hard,” Johnston said.
Helbig said the security director talked about negative stereotypes associated with the business and said they are highly regulated and professionally run operations.
“The city would have a lot of control over how they are operated,” Helbig said.
“It seems like there are still a lot of things that need to be answered to gain a more educated opinion,” Johnston said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff