Cannabis testing site could open in North Haledon

By: Philip DeVebcetis
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

NORTH HALEDON - The Land Use Board has approved the operations of a cannabis testing laboratory on Sicomac Road, but the business still needs a state license in order to open.
..... The Wayne-based limited liability company, called Clear choice Diagnostic Laboratories, wants to open a 1,132-square-foot testing site in a former dentist's office at High Mountain Plaza, at the corner of High Mountain Road.
..... Municipal approval of the lab is a prerequisite for the state-issued license.
.... the borough prohibits all other cannabis businesses, including cultivators, retailers and wholesalers, but Mayor Randy George said Friday [05/05/2023] that he is comfortable with this type of use.
..... He said most local voters favored cannabis sales when a constitutional amendment to legalize the drug passed in a statewide referendum in November 2020. By having a lab, he said, "at least we're abiding by some of the wishes of the residents' and supporting the industry.
..... Lab testing involves checking marijuana samples for cannabis content and the presence of mold and pests, such as aphids and spider mites.
..... There is still a shortage of labs that exist to check the quality of cannabis being sold at the 12 alternative-treatment centers and the 26 recreational dispensaries throughout New Jersey.
..... The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved the operation of four labs in March 2022, and a fifth received its license to open on Post Lane in Riverdale when the agency met last month. [04/2023]
..... Clear Choice would be the first lab to operate in Passaic County.
..... It would not be open to the public, and up to three employees would work here. In March, [2023] the Borough Council amended the zoning code to permit cannabis testing labs in the business district.

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