PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council voted at the Tuesday, April 3 meeting to support Governor Murphy’s executive order No. 6, which expands distribution points for medical marijuana. The Resolution (No. 2018:073) passed 3-2 with Carifi, McCarthy and Peterson voting in favor and dePierro and Gragnani voting against. To read a copy of Resolution 2018:073, click here.
Councilwoman Emily Peterson stated “With this vote, Council President Carifi, Vice President McCarthy and I showed in deed our support of the many residents and neighbors who shared their very personal experiences with pain and access. They asked for compassion and our commitment to the idea that we can treat medical cannabis separately from decriminalization. The three “yes” votes did just that and I am honored to share Governor Murphy’s compassionate approach with the residents of Parsippany who need it most of all.”
More than 25 people came out to speak up on the issue, many in favor of Parsippany being a potential location for a medical marijuana dispensary, which Murphy’s order would allow. Most of the speakers were not Parsippany residents.
“I voted in support of the medical marijuana resolution because it has been medically documented that it assists in pain relief for people suffering from a number of things including cancer and other serious ailments. I am totally against recreational use of marijuana. When it comes to it being used for medical reasons and it’s going to provide relief to people that are seriously ill and suffering and it is administered properly, I don’t know why anyone would not support that,” said Council President Paul Carifi, Jr.
Councilwoman Loretta Gragnani asked to table the motion calling for a vote, to allow more time for consideration, but her request to table was denied 3-2. (Gragnani and dePierro voted to table the resolution).
In Governor Murphy’s Executive order it states “the need for medical marijuana in New Jersey currently far exceeds the supply that the existing licensed Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC) in operation are able to provide … one study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center found that the annual number of deaths from prescription drug overdose is 25 percent lower in states where medical marijuana is legal than in states where it is illegal.”
For a complete copy of Governor Murphy’s Executive Order, click here.
The resolution states “The Township Council further supports the location of ATCs in appropriate locations to serve the residents of Parsippany-Troy Hills and the surrounding area and to allow qualifying patients greater access to medical marijuana; and The Township Council will review its zoning ordinances to consider appropriate locations for ATCs within the Township that will not conflict with certain protected uses including but not limited to schools, churches, parks, etc. as well as any other applicable ordinances in order to regulate ATCs in a manner that will promote and protect the public health safety and welfare.”
Currently there are no locations zoned for Alternate Treatment Centers in Parsippany.
A request was sent to Councilwoman Loretta Gragnani and Councilman Michael dePierro for comment, but when the story was published they didn’t respond.
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