Bill Text: NJ A2701 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits location and operation of cannabis retailers near schools or places of worship.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [A2701 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2701-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JAY WEBBER
District 26 (Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits location and operation of cannabis retailers near schools or places of worship.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning cannabis retailers, amending P.L.2021, c.16, and supplementing Title 24 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 31 of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-45) is amended to read as follows:
31. Municipal Regulations or Ordinances.
a. A municipality may enact ordinances or regulations, not in conflict with the provisions of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-31 et al.):
(1) governing the number of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services, as well as the location, manner, and times of operation of establishments and distributors, but the time of operation of delivery services shall be subject only to regulation by the commission; and
(2) establishing civil penalties for violation of an ordinance or regulation governing the number of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services that may operate in such municipality, or their location, manner, or the times of operations.
b. A municipality may prohibit the operation of any one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services, but not the delivery of cannabis items and related supplies by a delivery service, within the jurisdiction of the municipality through the enactment of an ordinance, and this prohibiting ordinance shall apply throughout the municipality, even if that municipality or parts thereof fall within any district, area, or other geographical jurisdiction for which land use planning, site planning, zoning requirements or other development authority is exercised by an independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency pursuant to the enabling legislation that governs its duties, functions, and powers, even if this development authority is expressly stated or interpreted to be exclusive thereunder; the local prohibiting ordinance applies, notwithstanding the provisions of any independent State authority law to the contrary. Only an ordinance to prohibit one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services enacted pursuant to the specific authority to do so by this section shall be valid and enforceable; any ordinance enacted by a municipality prior to the effective date of this section addressing the issue of prohibiting one or more types of cannabis-related activities within the jurisdiction of the municipality is null and void, and that entity may only prohibit the operation of one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services by enactment of a new ordinance based upon the specific authority to do so by this section. The failure of a municipality to enact an ordinance prohibiting the operation of one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services within 180 days after the effective date of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-31 et al.), shall result in any class of cannabis establishment, or a cannabis distributor or cannabis delivery service that is not prohibited from operating within the municipality as being permitted to operate therein as follows: the growing, cultivating, manufacturing, and selling and reselling of cannabis and cannabis items, and operations to transport in bulk cannabis items by a cannabis cultivator, cannabis manufacturer, cannabis wholesaler, or as a cannabis distributor or cannabis delivery service shall be permitted uses in all industrial zones of the municipality; and the selling of cannabis items to consumers from a retail store by a cannabis retailer shall be a conditional use in all commercial zones or retail zones, subject to meeting the conditions set forth in any applicable zoning ordinance or receiving a variance from one or more of those conditions in accordance with the "Municipal Land Use Law," P.L.1975, c.291 (C.40:55D-1 et seq.). At the end of a five-year period following the initial failure of a municipality to enact an ordinance prohibiting the operation of one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services, and every five-year period thereafter following a failure to enact a prohibiting ordinance, the municipality shall again be permitted to prohibit the future operation of any one or more classes of cannabis establishment, or cannabis distributors or cannabis delivery services through the enactment of an ordinance during a new 180-day period, but this ordinance shall be prospective only and not apply to any cannabis establishment, distributor or delivery service operating in the municipality prior to the enactment of the ordinance.
c. (1) When the commission receives an application for initial licensing or renewal of an existing license for any cannabis establishment, distributor, or delivery service pursuant to section 19 of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-36), or endorsement for a cannabis consumption area pursuant to section 28 of P.L.2019, c.153 (C.24:6I-21), the commission shall provide, within 14 days, a copy of the application to the municipality in which the establishment, distributor, delivery service, or consumption area is to be located, unless the municipality has prohibited the operation of the particular class of business for which licensure is sought pursuant to subsection b. of this section, or in the case of an application seeking a consumption area endorsement, prohibited the operation of cannabis retailers. The municipality shall determine whether the application complies with its local restrictions on the number of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services, or their location, manner, or times of operation, and the municipality shall inform the commission whether the application complies with its local restrictions.
(2) A municipality may impose a separate local licensing or endorsement requirement as a part of its restrictions on the number of cannabis establishments, distributors, or delivery services, or their location, manner, or times of operation. A municipality may decline to impose any local licensing or endorsement requirements, but a local jurisdiction shall notify the commission that it either approves or denies each application forwarded to it.
d. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, and subject to the provisions of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a municipality shall not permit a Class 5 Cannabis Retailer licensee licensed pursuant to section 25 of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-42) to be located within 200 feet of a school or place of worship in accordance with section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill).
(cf: P.L.2021, c.16, s.31)
2. (New section) a. (1) A cannabis retailer issued a Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license by the commission pursuant to section 25 of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-42) shall not be permitted to operate a cannabis retailer premises within 200 feet of an existing school or place of worship.
(2) For the purposes of this section:
"Place of worship" means a building capable of seating more than 50 people used primarily as a place of public or private worship on a permanent basis by a recognized and established religious sect or denomination registered as a not-for-profit organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. s.501 (c) (3).
"School" means any public or private school as defined pursuant to N.J.S.18A:1-1.
b. For a period of five years following the effective day of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), this section shall not apply to any retailer who:
(1) was issued a Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license by the commission and is in compliance with the conditions, if any, imposed on the license by the municipality or the commission; and
(2) received municipal approval to operate the cannabis retail business premises at a specific location and has undertaken substantial monetary steps in opening the premises for retail at the approved location.
3. This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits a municipality from permitting a cannabis retailer to operate a business within 200 feet of a school or place of worship.
Under current law, there is no prohibition on the location of a cannabis retailer as it relates to schools or places of worship. Under the bill, "place of worship" is defined as a building capable of seating more than 50 people used primarily as a place of public or private worship on a permanent basis by a recognized and established religious sect or denomination registered as a not-for-profit organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. s.501 (c) (3). Further, the bill defines "school" as any public or private school as defined by N.J.S.A.18A:1-1.
Existing cannabis businesses that have made expenditures in reliance on approved sites that otherwise would be prohibited by the bill will be grandfathered for five years. Specifically, for the five years following the effective date of the bill, the bill does not apply to any retailer who:
(1) was issued a Class 5 Cannabis Retailer license by the commission and is in compliance with the conditions, if any, imposed on the license by the municipality or the commission; and
(2) received municipal approval to operate the cannabis retail business premises at a specific location and has undertaken substantial monetary steps in opening the premises for retail at the approved location.
It is the intent of the sponsor to treat cannabis retailers the same as liquor stores and bars, which also cannot be licensed within 200 feet of any schools or places of worship.
