PLAN FOR MARIJUANA DISPENSARY IN MANALAPAN RAISES CONCERNS

State: Towns Still Have Say

News that a state-approved medicinal marijuana dispensary would be
located here was met with mixed reactions.

At least two local officials -- a township committeeman and a police
captain -- expressed concern, while two people who work near the
proposed site said they aren't so worried. And the CEO of the
dispensary said it would benefit the community as a whole.

Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center Corp. is among six centers in
New Jersey to receive state Department of Health and Senior Services
approval to distribute medical marijuana. It plans to set up shop in
an office building at Route 33 and Madison Avenue, township officials
said.

The marijuana would be grown at an undisclosed site in Ocean County
and transported here, said Andrew Zaleski, a spokesman for Breakwater
and the son of its chief operating officer, H. Alexander Zaleski.

Breakwater is represented by a former Manalapan mayor, Richard H.
Klauber, an attorney with whom the center also shares an office in
Ocean Township, Klauber said Tuesday.

Klauber said he is not a principal in Breakwater and did not draft its
application to the state to become an approved center. He did,
however, review the application, introduce Breakwater representatives
to township officials, including Health Officer David Richardson, and
speak with Mayor Andrew Lucas on Breakwater's behalf to alert them of
the plans, Klauber said.

But some township officials said the announcement Monday that a site
here had been selected by the state came as a surprise.

"It's shocking to hear that Manalapan has been named as a location for
an alternative treatment center to dispense medical marijuana,"
Township Committeeman Ryan D. Green said in an email.

"The residents of Manalapan deserve to have their voices heard on this
issue, and I'll be exploring any option at our disposal to make that
possible," Green said.

State officials said a municipality still has a say in allowing the
centers within its boundaries; a site may have to go before a town's
Zoning Board of Adjustment for approval, said Donna Leusner, state
Health Department spokeswoman.

Leusner said applicants were encouraged to meet with local officials
and to continue working closely with them after the approvals. The
state also will be meeting with site operators and monitoring how they
are permitted to move forward, Leusner said.

Police Capt. Christopher Marsala said the department has concerns
about security and the potential for robberies at the proposed
location, a 16,000-square foot Madison Avenue building where the
dispensary would occupy the first floor.

"Google "medical marijuana facility robbed' and see how many hits you
come up with," Marsala said Tuesday. "Your head will spin."

Richard Lefkowitz, Breakwater chief executive officer, issued a
statement Tuesday that the cultivation and distribution sites would
use "state-of-the-art security systems" and "environmentally
responsible 'green' technology" but declined to answer specific questions.

Some neighbors weren't so concerned.

"If it's done in a legal way and if it would help people, then I'm all
for it," said Sandy Neiser, a manager at Access Self Storage, also on
Madison Avenue. "Obviously, it does have a (movement of supporters)
behind it. No one wants to be in pain."

Mike Gagliardi, 26, an employee at nearby Knob Hill Golf Club, said he
wasn't concerned about the center. He said he was a bit amused that
the formerly outlawed drug might now be made available in the bedroom
community.

"I can't speak for the golf club, but I can speak for myself and say
that's crazy," Gagliardi said. "That's actually pretty funny."

Health Officer David Richardson said he hopes to arrange a public
meeting for the owners to explain their business to residents.

"We believe that this opportunity will be of great benefit for the
people suffering with debilitating medical conditions as well as the
community as a whole," Lefkowitz said in his statement.

Other centers were approved to open this summer in Bellmawr, New
Brunswick, Montclair, Secaucus and a site to be decided in either
Burlington or Camden counties. They would be the first locations since
the state in 2010 approved letting chronically ill patients receive
prescribed pot.