North Jersey.com reports
PATERSON — Mayor Andre Sayegh has vetoed the City Council’s ban on recreational marijuana businesses, saying he does not want Paterson to fall behind other municipalities in the race to cash in on legalized cannabis.
“We run the significant risk of being last to the market with an inability to meaningfully take advantage of the legal, social, and economic opportunities legal cannabis provides,” Sayegh said in his veto message, issued late Friday afternoon.
Sayegh’s veto drew harsh criticism from council members who said he left the city without the authority to regulate the marijuana businesses or the power to collect local taxes from the establishments.
“He put the city in jeopardy,” said Councilman Luis Velez. “Now the state can do whatever it wants.”
