South Amboy Latest Central Jersey Town To Ban Pot Shops

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — The city of South Amboy is only the latest Central Jersey town to ban any marijuana shop or weed business from opening in town, including medical marijuana facilities.

At their Wednesday night meeting, the South Amboy city Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that bans any marijuana-related business from opening anywhere within town limits. This includes medical marijuana, grow shops, cafes, retail shops or marijuana-delivery businesses.

Towns like Piscataway, Middletown, Bridgewater and Old Bridge have either discussed or passed similar pot shop bans. However, other large Central Jersey towns, like Woodbridge, Aberdeen, Edison and New Brunswick, have not. There is a medical marijuana store in Woodbridge (Garden State Dispensary), which just last year opened a second location in Eatontown. Those are the two nearest pot shops to South Amboy.

"This is a family town," Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler said, when that town passed its ban in mid-May, according to MyCentralJersey. "It's one thing for a neighbor to use a legal product in the privacy of his or her own home; it's another thing to have a marijuana store down the block from your house."

South Amboy town administrator Glenn Skarzynski said some New Jersey towns are balking at letting pot shops open because the state has not provided enough framework or information on how they would operate.

"Even though marijuana is now legal in New Jersey, the Cannabis Commission has not given the framework for how all of this will transpire," he said. "As of now, there's no guidance coming out of Trenton on this. What are the rules? Is this going to be like how we treat liquor stores; what are the hours going to be? Are people under 21 allowed inside? We may also have to change zoning."

"There are a couple Council people who believe it doesn't have a place in our community," he added.

Gov. Phil Murphy legalized marijuana and commercial marijuana sales this year, after an overwhelming majority of New Jersey voters (more than 70 percent) said they supported legalizing marijuana on a public ballot question in the November 2020 election.

After pot was legalized, the New Jersey League of Municipalities issued an official statement saying the state has not entirely codified, or sorted out, its laws around marijuana businesses. The League warned that towns have until Aug. 22, 2021 to pass laws if they want to ban pot shops from opening. If not, towns wouldn't be able to ban marijuana businesses from opening for the next five years.

"Had the Council not voted 'no' they would have been married to this situation for the next five years," said Skarzynski. "The Council has been put in an uncomfortable position right now."

He said sixty six percent of South Amboy residents voted "yes" in favor of legalizing pot in that November 2020 ballot question. But he also compared this present time in New Jersey to Prohibition ending in America in 1933.

"We have members our of community who feel that marijuana is a dangerous gateway drug. We have other members of our community who say we have liquor stores, and it's now legal, so why can't we have pot shops?" he said. "So the Council has to balance all sides. But without all the information from the state, there's no good way for them to enact this."

"Once the Cannabis Commission promulgates their regulations, the Council has the opportunity to revisit this issue," he said.

Several residents spoke at Wednesday night's meeting.

"In 2021 in this day and age to say no to these businesses is a prehistoric perspective," said South Amboy resident Mike Vintzileos, according to MyCentralJersey. "As a resident of this town it is honestly disgusting with all the alcohol that's in this town. It's not well thought out. It's not a responsible approach and I don't think it makes sense."

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