It will likely be weeks before Montclair voters can sign a petition to express their support for legalizing commercial marijuana within the city.

The clock on the “Montclair Freedom of Choice Cannabis Initiative” began on May 30, when resident Cody Lowe’s notice of intention to file was delivered to the city, along with the proposed ballot measure, which was presented to City Attorney Diane Robbins.

Robbins now has until Friday, June 14, to prepare a ballot title and impartial summary in 500 words or less, beginning a months-long process that could result in a referendum.

Assuming initiative proponents have no problem with Robbins’ title and summary, and 10 days after they publish a copy of the ballot title and summary in a newspaper of general circulation, they can get to work gathering signatures from voters.

That means the earliest voters could see the petition is mid-June.

Proponents would have 180 days to gather 1,476 valid signatures – 10 percent of the city’s registered voters – according to City Clerk Andrea Phillips.

If proponents gather enough verified signatures, the City Council then has the option of adopting an ordinance, requesting a report examining the impact of the initiative, or submitting the initiative to voters.

Although the council last week discussed holding a special election for a potential cannabis measure, Phillips and Robbins confirmed this week that the council could instead put the matter to voters at the next general election on Nov. 3, 2020.

In the meantime, the council may pursue its own path to marijuana legalization. The same day that Lowe’s attorney presented the ballot initiative to the city, the council held a special workshop on the matter.

Montclair banned all commercial cannabis activity in 2017. But that hasn’t stopped illegal dispensaries from coming into the city.

“We’re getting our butts kicked out there,” Gabe Fondario, a code enforcement supervisor for the city, told the council.

City Manager Edward Starr presented the council with a comprehensive plan for regulating commercial marijuana in the city, which would be much more restrictive than the one proposed in the initiative.

The initiative would simply repeal the city’s existing ban on commercial cannabis, cap tax revenue from commercial cannabis businesses at $10,000 a year and require cannabis businesses to be at least 250 feet apart.

The proposal put forth by city staff would repeal the city’s existing marijuana ban; create regulations for commercial cannabis activities; prohibit smoking in public (of both cannabis and tobacco products); and charge licensed retailers a 5% annual franchise fee. The council is expected to hold a public hearing on the proposal later this summer.