Chatham Borough Bans Cannabis Business Operations For Now

© Shutterstock Council members in Chatham Borough who voted on Monday, June 14, except one, agreed they should wait to learn more about New Jersey’s regulations for recreational marijuana, before adopting an ordinance to permit cannabis businesses in the borough.

CHATHAM, NJ — Members of Chatham Borough’s Council voted during Monday night’s meeting to disallow recreational cannabis businesses to operate within the borough’s borders, for the time being.

The majority of the council members who voted for the ordinance passage, did so to wait for more information from the State of New Jersey on regulations for these types of businesses, which are expected by August 22.

To view the discussion – including from members of the public – and public hearing, click the video below, with it starting at about 2 hours and 6 minutes into the recording of the virtual meeting.

Among the votes, was Councilwoman Jocelyn Mathiasen’s, which was a “yes” vote on the premise that it would allow the council more time to “examine this issue relating to facilities,” Mathiasen said.

Mathiasen stressed that residents would still be able to order marijuana and have it delivered from a licensed company outside of the borough to their homes. Although she said she believed there are addictive qualities to marijuana, she said as public policy makers, the council should focus on the impact of alcohol and opioids on individuals, citing 95,000 alcohol-related deaths yearly in the country and 500,000 opioid-related since the start of that epidemic.

Irene Treloar remained a “no” vote, as she had when the ordinance was introduced on May 24. Treloar said the borough should consider class three and four distribution models, which are wholesalers and distributors, which each could bring a 1 percent tax revenue to the borough. Treloar said she saw no issue with how these types could be regulated safely.

Of three other “yes” votes from Len Resto, Karen Koronkiewicz and Frank Truilo, both Koronkiewicz and Truilo commented on the vote, with each suggesting they would like to watch how the issues evolves.

Members of the public who spoke, Rozella Clyde and Bob Weber, expressed dissenting views on the topic, with Clyde stating this type of an ordinance makes recreational cannabis “a bogeyman to our youth.” She also suggested the council should have fostered more civic engagement prior to creating the ordinance.

Weber, on the other hand, said the ordinance “does not interfere with anyone’s right to smoke recreational marijuana” and he was in support of its passage.

Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.