A petition on www.change.org calls on the Princeton Council to reconsider its stance on banning a cannabis dispensary in town.
It has been signed by more than 30 people.
The petition has been circulating on change.org since June 18. It was initiated by Princeton resident Joanne Marshall, who uses medical cannabis for chronic pain management.
The petition states that many people in the community rely on cannabis for pain management, and a Princeton cannabis dispensary would make a big difference for them.
Marshall said that she has to travel 20 minutes to Cranbury to purchase medical cannabis.
The petition pointed out that revenue from a local 2% sales tax on retail cannabis sales would benefit taxpayers. Cannabis dispensaries in neighboring Lawrence Township are expected to generate $900,000 in sales taxes for 2024.
Cannabis dispensaries also would create new jobs. The dispensaries also have been viewed nationally as a way to provide reparations for communities affected by past wrongs, the petition said. Black and brown persons were frequently arrested for possession of marijuana, prior to its legalization in 2020 in New Jersey.
“However, two years ago, our Town Council decided to table discussion on opening a cannabis dispensary,” the petition states. “I believe it’s time we bring this vital issue back into consideration.”
Marshall initiated a discussion on the need for a cannabis dispensary at the Princeton Council’s June 10 meeting. She asked the Princeton Council to reconsider its stance and to evaluate the success of other towns that have allowed dispensaries to open.
“I believe the Princeton Board of Health was overly involved (in the issue),” Marshall told the Princeton Council. “This is not a health issue, it’s a zoning issue.”
The town’s land use ordinance, or zoning ordinance, would have to be amended by the Princeton Council to set out areas in town where a cannabis dispensary would be permitted – similar to zoning the areas in town where liquor stores are allowed.
While Marshall made a case for opening a retail cannabis store in town, the Princeton Council does not appear ready to take up the issue again.
Mayor Mark Freda said June 24 that there is no indication from the Princeton Council for the need to reconsider allowing a cannabis dispensary to locate in town.
In 2022, the Princeton Council stepped back from a controversial recommendation by the Princeton Cannabis Task Force to allow as many as three retail cannabis dispensaries to open in town, following special meetings on the topic.
The Princeton Cannabis Task Force was appointed by the Princeton Council in 2021 to study the issue of retail cannabis sales. At the time, it did not recommend issuing licenses for other categories of cannabis-related businesses.
