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Codes & Documents » Ordinances » Ordinance No. 23-21

Ordinance No. 23-21

Introduced: July 8, 2021
Public Hearing: July 22, 2021
Status: Adopted

An Ordinance Prohibiting the Operation of Any Class of Cannabis Businesses within the Geographical Boundaries of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey

WHEREAS, in 2020 New Jersey voters approved Public Question No. 1, which amended the New Jersey Constitution to allow for the legalization of a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis” for adults at least 21 years of age; and

WHEREAS, on February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed into law P.L. 2021, c. 16, known as the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act” (the “Act”), which legalizes the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 years of age or older, and establishes a comprehensive regulatory and licensing scheme for commercial recreational (adult use) cannabis operations, use and possession; and

WHEREAS, the Act establishes six marketplace classes of licensed businesses, including:

  • Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator license, for facilities involved in growing and cultivating cannabis;
  • Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer license, for facilities involved in the manufacturing, preparation, and packaging of cannabis items;
  • Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler license, for facilities involved in obtaining and selling cannabis items for later resale by other licensees;
  • Class 4 Cannabis Distributer license, for businesses involved in transporting cannabis plants in bulk from on licensed cultivator to another licensed cultivator, or cannabis items in bulk from any type of licensed cannabis business to another;
  • Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license for locations at which cannabis items and related supplies are sold to consumers; and
  • Class 6 Cannabis Delivery license, for businesses providing courier services for consumer purchases that are fulfilled by a licensed cannabis retailer in order to make deliveries of the purchased items to a consumer, and which service would include the ability of a consumer to make a purchase directly through the cannabis delivery service which would be presented by the delivery service for fulfillment by a retailer and then delivered to a consumer.

WHEREAS, Section 31a of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to adopt regulations governing the number of cannabis establishments (defined in Section 3 of the Act as “a cannabis cultivator, a cannabis manufacturer, a cannabis wholesaler, or a cannabis retailer”), cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services allowed to operate within their boundaries, as well as the location manner and times operation of such establishments, distributors or delivery services, and establishing civil penalties for the violation of any such regulations; and

WHEREAS, Section 31b of the Act authorizes municipalities by ordinance to prohibit the operation of any one or more classes of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services anywhere in the municipality; and

WHEREAS, Section 31b of the Act also stipulates, however, that any municipal regulation or prohibition must be adopted within 180 days of the effective date of the Act (i.e., by August 22, 2021); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 31b of the Act, the failure to do so shall mean that for a period of five years thereafter, the growing, cultivating, manufacturing, selling and reselling of cannabis and cannabis items shall be permitted uses in all industrial zones, and the retail selling of cannabis items to consumers shall be a conditional use in all commercial and retail zones; and

WHEREAS, at the conclusion of the initial and any subsequent five-year period following a failure to enact local regulations or prohibitions, the municipality shall again have 180 days to adopt an ordinance regulating or prohibiting cannabis businesses, but any such ordinance would be prospective only and would not apply to any cannabis business already operating within the municipality; and

WHEREAS, the Governing Body of the Township of Randolph has determined that, due to present uncertainties regarding the potential future impacts that allowing one or more classes of cannabis business might have on New Jersey municipalities in general, and on the Township of Randolph in particular, it is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the Township of Randolph’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel, or conduct business in the Township of Randolph, to prohibit all manner of marijuana-related land use and development within the geographic boundaries of the Township of Randolph; and

WHEREAS, officials from two prominent non-profit organizations that have been established for the purpose of advising New Jersey municipalities on legal matters such as have been presented by the Act (those organizations being the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys) have strongly urged that, due to the complexity and novelty of the Act; the many areas of municipal law that are or may be implicated in decisions as to whether or to what extent cannabis or medical cannabis should be permitted for land use purposes or otherwise regulated in any particular municipality; and the relatively short duration in which the Act would allow such decisions to be made before imposing an automatic authorization of such uses in specified zoning districts subject to unspecified conditions, the most prudent course of action for all municipalities, whether or not generally in favor of cannabis or medical cannabis land development and uses, would be to prohibit all such uses within the Act’s 180-day period in order to ensure sufficient time to carefully review all aspects of the Act and its impacts.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Governing Body of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey as follows:

SECTION ONE. Pursuant to Section 31b of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (P.L. 2021, c. 16), all cannabis establishments, cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services are hereby prohibited from operating anywhere in the Township of Randolph, except for the delivery of cannabis items and related supplies by a delivery service.

SECTION TWO. Any article, section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or other provision of the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph and any ordinance, resolution, regulation or parts of any ordinance, resolution or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance is hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

SECTION THREE. If any section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision of this ordinance shall be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such adjudication shall apply only to the section, paragraph, subsection, clause, or provision so adjudged, and the remainder of this ordinance shall be deemed valid and effective.

SECTION FOUR. This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage, approval and publication as otherwise provided for by law.

ATTEST

_____________________________
Donna Marie Luciani, Township Clerk

TOWNSHIP OF RANDOLPH

_____________________________
Mark Forstenhausler, Mayor

LEGAL NOTICE
TOWNSHIP OF RANDOLPH, COUNTY OF MORRIS
ORDINANCE NO. 23-21

Notice is hereby given that an Ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Prohibiting The Operation Of Any Class Of Cannabis Business Within The Geographical Boundaries Of The Township Of Randolph, County of Morris, State Of New Jersey” was submitted in writing at a regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey, held on July 8, 2021 and was introduced, read by title and passed on first reading. A Statement of Purpose of the Ordinance is contained below. The Governing Body of the Township of Randolph will further consider the Ordinance for second reading and final passage thereof at their regular meeting to be held on July 22, 2021 at 6 p.m. prevailing time, at the Municipal Building, 502 Millbrook Avenue, Randolph, New Jersey 07869, at which time and place a public hearing will be heard thereon by the Governing Body and all parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard concerning said Ordinance.

Statement of Purpose of Ordinance

The purpose of the above Ordinance is to prohibit all cannabis establishments, cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services from operating anywhere in the Township of Randolph, except for the delivery of cannabis items and related supplies by a delivery service.

A copy of the full Ordinance is available to any member of the general public, without cost, at the Township of Randolph, Municipal Building, Millbrook Avenue, Randolph, New Jersey, at the Office of the Township Clerk, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Donna Marie Luciani, Township Clerk
Township of Randolph
County of Morris, State of New Jersey

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