Title
Dept/ Agency: Economic and Housing Development
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Referral of Proposed Ordinance to the Central Planning Board for Formal Review
Purpose: Resolution referring the proposed ordinance amending Zoning and Land Use Regulations to the Central Planning Board for formal review, report, and recommendation as required by N.J.S.A. 40:55D-26 and N.J.S.A. 40:55D-64.
Additional Information:
To amend the City of Newark's Zoning and Land Use Regulations, by establishing permitted marijuana retail sale zones, to the Central Planning Board for review and recommendation in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-64.
A copy of the proposed ordinance is attached as Schedule A.
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WHEREAS, the enforcement of marijuana laws has led to the unequal treatment and targeting of minority communities and has contributed to the mass incarceration of Black and Brown people in New Jersey and throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, the regulation of a controlled form of marijuana called "cannabis" impacts the nature and extent of the uses of land, buildings, and structures thereon; and
WHEREAS, during the upcoming November 3, 2020 elections, a ballot measure will be considered that will amend the New Jersey State Constitution to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for persons, age 21 and older, and legalize the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana; and
WHEREAS, if passed, the constitutional amendment would take effect on January 1, 2021 and allow the five (5) member Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), which was first established to oversee the State's medical-marijuana program, to be responsible for regulating the cultivation, processing, and sale of recreational marijuana; and
WHEREAS, the constitutional amendment would apply the State sales tax (6.625%) to recreational marijuana, but prohibit additional State sale tax...
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