N.J. town is trying to ban marijuana sales, but residents are fighting the move

In March, the Orange City Council took a preliminary vote, 4-2, in favor of an ordinance that would ban recreational marijuana sales within its borders.

The vote, which happened following the first reading of the ordinance, drew the ire of many in the community, including several business owners who are preparing to open recreational marijuana operations in the predominately Black township. The ordinance would need to be passed again at a second reading to become law.

“For an applicant, such as ourselves, who did everything correctly...if a town then pulls its support, do we then become free agents, essentially?” said Travis Ally, co-owner of 93iD.

93iD plans on operating a fully integrated marijuana company, from “seed to sale,” its owners Levi Holmes and Ally told NJ Advance Media Saturday. According to the owners, the company already spent about $500,000 to secure its facility located at 95-123 Freeway Drive, totaling 125,000 square feet. It would be one of the largest marijuana facilities in the region, the owners said.

Both owners of 93iD are Black.

“If we get this license, it’s a game-changer for the community, when we talk about the tax revenue this would bring to a particular community,” Holmes, a retired Newark police officer said.

Travis Ally (left) and Levi Holmes (right), owners of 93iD, a marijuana company in Orange.

The ordinance banning marijuana sales was set for a second reading at a city council meeting on April 20 (coincidentally scheduled for the pro-marijuana holiday 4/20), but was tabled. At the meeting, several community members asked city councilmembers to consider voting the measure down, according to meeting minutes.

In the November General Election, 74% of Orange residents voted in favor of recreational marijuana legalization, according to information provided by the municipality via a public records request made by NJ Advance Media.

For many in the city, the issue centers around social justice. They’ve pointed to statistics showing how communities of color in New Jersey have suffered ill-effects from the so called “War or Drugs,” including incarcerations. In New Jersey, Black people are 3.5 times more likely than their white counterparts to be arrested for marijuana-related offenses, according to the ACLU.

“What I have learned is that African Americans were not involved in this industry (early on),” Holmes said. “(Our company) is heavily involved in the social equity part.”

About 68% of Orange’s 30,000 residents are Black, according to Census figures.

Two city council members, Jamie Summers-Johnson and Adrienne Wooten, did not support the ordinance banning recreational marijuana sales. Backed by Mayor Dwayne D. Warren, the councilwomen held meetings at various locations in Orange, talking to residents about a variety of topics surrounding legalization, like safety, health and wellness, and socioeconomic implications. The councilwomen said they urged community members to make their voices heard.

“Now that brown and Black people have an opportunity to be at the table, I don’t want to be on the side of stopping my people from profiting from something in a healthy way,” Summers-Johnson told NJ Advance Media.

One of the meetings was held at Brwn Box, a CBD company in Orange looking to make the leap to THC sales. Owner, Almaz Adeigbola said the legal marijuana market is a huge opportunity for the township.

“I believe that any town that is trying to ban it, or has already banned it, didn’t even look at how much money they could actually make, which could in turn, really turn their town around,” Adeigbola said.

Councilmembers Tency Eason, Kerry Coley, Clifford Ross and Harold Johnson Jr. voted for the ordinance banning recreational marijuana sales. Councilman Weldon Montague III abstained from voting.

Coley, Ross and Johnson could not be reached for comment. Eason declined to comment.

The ordinance may be discussed again at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where it could be brought up for a second vote.

Ally believes city officials who voted for the ban will change their tune in response to outcry from residents and business owners.

“They’ve already kind of signaled they’re going our way,” Ally said. “On the other hand, we don’t want to be naive, and until there’s actually ink on the paper, it still is kind of up in the air.”