By Donald Gilpin

The Princeton Cannabis Task Force (CTF) is inviting the public to weigh in, or just listen in, on June 23 at 6 p.m. on Zoom when the CTF will hold a public meeting about the future of cannabis in Princeton.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the 23-member task force to present the recommendations it has developed up to this point and to hear from the public on all aspects of the issue of the local cannabis industry. CTF Chair and Councilwoman Eve Niedergang stated that the discussion at the meeting would be focused as much as possible on the immediate question of whether Princeton should opt in on licenses for a cannabis dispensary or delivery establishment in town. 

Niedergang added that the CTF has been working diligently to find answers to the questions they need to answer in order to prepare a recommendation for Princeton Council. Council, then the Planning Board, must deliberate and introduce an ordinance before the end of August, in time for Princeton to meet a state mandate. New Jersey voters passed a ballot issue to legalize recreational use of cannabis in last November’s general election.

“Unfortunately we’re not able to make this meeting a month or six weeks from now,” said Niedergang. “We have a very tight schedule, and it’s critical to hear from the public.”  The CTF will either recommend opting in on one or two of the six possible licenses, or they will decide that more time is needed to make an effective decision and that Princeton should opt out for now. The CTF would then continue its research in the coming months to consider opting in on any of six cannabis industry licenses (cultivation, manufacturing, wholesaling, distribution, retail, delivery) at a later date.

As the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission continues to develop policies and regulations for the new industry, Princeton and other communities can choose to opt out now and then opt in at any later point or to opt in now for a lock-in period of five years.

Many of the issues to be considered do not have to be decided right now.  If Princeton decides to allow any cannabis establishment, eventually decisions will have to be made about the income from that establishment and where it goes.

The CTF has recently been weighing the pros and cons of allowing a retail dispensary or delivery facility and looking at where in the town’s commercial district those establishments might be located, along with the hours of operation, and the advantages and disadvantages of an appointment-only facility versus one that operates at regular business hours without appointments. The perennial issues of traffic and potential parking challenges are also part of the discussion. 

“There is also the issue of whether we impose any additional requirements on a potential licensee beyond what the state imposes,” Niedergang said. “All the state regulations aren’t yet set, but the state has certain criteria that they weigh in terms of licensing, social justice, and others.  Princeton might want to add something to that.”

Niedergang reminded locals that neither the CTF, which will make recommendations to Princeton Council, nor the Council itself is making the ultimate decision about whether cannabis will be in the Princeton community.

According to New Jersey law, deliveries will be allowed everywhere. “If people are objecting because they don’t want cannabis in the community, that battle has already been fought and lost,” Niedergang said.

The June 10 meeting of the CTF featured presentations on the effects of cannabis on the brain at various ages by CTF member and neuroscientist Abby Kalmbach and CTF member and Doctors for Cannabis Regulation founder David Nathan. 

The CTF June 23 meeting Zoom link, along with the full CTF meeting schedule, can be found on the CTF website at princetonnj.gov.