SPARTA -- A proposed ordinance that contained language barring the sale of both recreational and medicinal marijuana in the township was tabled by the Township Council on Tuesday, and will be sent to various boards "for their review and input."

SPARTA -- A proposed ordinance that contained language barring the sale of both recreational and medicinal marijuana in the township was tabled by the Township Council on Tuesday, and will be sent to various boards "for their review and input."

The motion to table was approved 4-0. Mayor Josh Hertzberg was not present "due to an unanticipated personal obligation," according to a statement read by Deputy Mayor Christine Quinn, who chaired the meeting.

Introduced at the council's meeting on Sept. 25, the ordinance was on Tuesday's agenda for a public hearing and possible final vote.

In Quinn's statement, she said the mayor "recommended the ordinance be tabled this evening and forwarded to various township boards for their review and input."

One of those boards would be the Planning Board, which normally reviews and makes recommendations on ordinances involving zoning. The proposed ordinance amends the township's land management ordinances by inserting a new subsection "prohibiting marijuana within all zones."

In section 1 of the proposed ordinance is the statement: "This ordinance prohibits both recreational and medical marijuana." Other language prohibits any marijuana businesses, to include stores, "cultivation facilities, marijuana product manufacturing facilities, marijuana testing facilities," and retail and wholesale sales.

The language further prohibits "cultivation, growing, extraction, manufacturing, processing, packaging, storing, laboratory testing, labeling, transporting, delivering, dispensing, transferring and/or distributing."

The ban also includes "any plant or product containing Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or any derivative or synthetic form of same." That would include plants such as hemp, which are from the same species as marijuana and contain minuscule amounts of THC.

Quinn said in the statement, "When the ordinance was introduced, it was presented to generate comments on both sides of the issue from the community before any modification was considered. We thought this would be the best approach to solicit that response."

The "We" refers to the members of the council.

"The original thought/intent was to introduce it with language that provided an exemption for medical marijuana sale and/or growth, not just consumption as it presently reads, which is permitted under current state law.

"Given the feedback already received, there appears to be some confusion about this aspect of the proposed ordinance."

Other than the statement read by Quinn, there was no further discussion or comment. The council also did not set a date for the ordinance to return to the agenda.

Only four members of the public were present at the meeting and only one spoke.

He asked if the township's Economic Development Commission's meetings were public and was told that although held in the police department conference room, the meetings are public.

The meetings are held the second Thursday of the month.