Garfield is the first northern New Jersey town to take a proactive measure to ban cannabis sales. Mayor Richard Rigoglioso is against it.
Only a few New Jersey shore towns have weighed in on their decision to ban or allow recreational cannabis sales.
Banning Cannabis Sales
Some NJ Shore towns, including Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach, Shrewsbury, and Berkeley, have taken measures by their town councils to ban cannabis sales. Garfield is the first northern New Jersey town to take a proactive measure to ban sales. Mayor Richard Rigoglioso stated, as reported by Gannett News, “Everyone thinks this is happening right away. But now, with the federal government weighing in, it may take some time.”
In a shocking statement further highlighting a lack of understanding of the issue, Rigoglioso said, “I don’t want it anywhere in Garfield,” he said. “I don’t see the purpose of it. I know people don’t agree, but I still believe it’s a gateway to other drugs.”
This continues to highlight the ‘reefer madness of the past. It contradicts research by the medical community and data from the states that have legalized cannabis.
The Asbury Park and Atlantic City mayors have stated they will embrace cannabis and allow it to be sold. Atlantic City’s mayor suggested the city be the state’s pilot. He requested it to be the sole municipality with time to iron out the kinks. There are still many myths to be demystified about cannabis. But there will be towns that embrace it and others that are afraid and lack understanding of the issue.
Cannabis is expected to be a multi-billion dollar industry and some figures suggest it will even grow larger than the NFL by 2025. New Jersey has many budgetary restraints, obligations and needs that will be alleviated by allowing the recreational use, taxed at a fair price for the users in the state.
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