PATERSON — City officials are looking to expand Paterson’s cannabis industry, partly by eliminating a local law that bans retail marijuana stores from operating within 300 feet of homes.
Under the proposed change, the city also would reduce the distance requirement for marijuana stores regarding churches and schools from 300 feet to 200 feet. Moreover, the city would increase the number of retail cannabis licenses in Paterson from three to six.
What comes next?
The City Council gave preliminary approval to those changes on July 18 and is planning to hold a public hearing and take a final vote on the issue on Aug. 15.
At present, Paterson has just one cannabis business — the RISE dispensary off Route 20, which opened as a medical marijuana site in December 2019 and expanded to begin selling recreational pot in April 2022.
City officials said they expect to collect about $2 million in cannabis sales taxes this year. That revenue figure likely would more than double under the expansion proposal.
Mayor Andre Sayegh repeatedly has cited the economic benefits of hosting cannabis businesses in Paterson. His economic development director, Michael Powell, said the regulation banning cannabis stores from within 300 feet of home precludes such businesses from opening in almost the entire city.
“It doesn’t make sense in a densely populated city like Paterson,” Powell said.
The director also noted a disparity in the regulations for bars and liquor store compared to cannabis businesses.
“Somebody can live on top of a bar, but they can’t live next to a dispensary,” he said.
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Two council members oppose plans:
Two council members —Michael Jackson and Md Forid Uddin — voted against the cannabis expansion plan last Tuesday.
Jackson said the city should be giving more notice to residents about the proposed changes.
“They don’t care about the residents and whether your church has issues with this,” he said.
Uddin has asked his colleagues to vote on the various aspects of the cannabis plan separately. He did not express any concerns about the changes in the distance requirement. But he said he does not think the city should increase the number of licenses to six until after it has three dispensaries open and in operation so officials “know what we’re dealing with.”
Supporters of the cannabis expansion said dispensaries already in operation in other states tend to be well-run, problem-free businesses.
“It’s simple and easy,” said Councilman Luis Velez. “The city is moving forward, and the economy has been growing.”
After giving preliminary approval to the proposed changes in marijuana licensing laws, the council also gave its endorsement for retail cannabis licenses for three new businesses. They were Blue Moon Lounge, which would operate at 445 East 16th Street; Thriv3, which would do business at 250 River Street; and Blaze Green, which would be at 585-591 River Street.
All three of those sites are less than 300 feet away from homes and some are close to churches, officials said. Therefore, the council needed to vote on the new distance requirements before it could give its backing to the three retail stores.
Now that the council has given those businesses its support, their applications now need final approval from the state’s cannabis commission, officials said.
H/T: www.northjersey.com
