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Correction: An earlier version of the story said the state was looking at Flemington as a location for a future cannabis business. The state has made no indication that one town has an advantage over any other.

Starting Monday, the state Division of Medicinal Marijuana will open up the application process to those seeking to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in portions of New Jersey.

This action comes on the heels of the Flemington Borough Council voting 3-1 on June 24 to endorse the installment of a medical marijuana dispensary in Hunterdon County.

The resolution states that “the need for medical marijuana in New Jersey currently exceeds the supply that existing licensed ATCs (Alternative Treatment Centers) can provide." Of the six medical marijuana dispensaries in the state of New Jersey, the closest to Flemington is located in Ewing.

Mayor Betsy Driver described the resolution as “a formality," as the state ultimately controls the establishment of these dispensaries.

“The state requires some kind of endorsement from the municipality saying that we’re OK with it," Driver said. "Because the state doesn’t want to grant a license for a dispensary to a town that says ‘no, no, no; there’s no way this could happen.'”

Driver said she supports the borough’s endorsement because “medical marijuana is proven to be an effective medicine for a lot of conditions."

"It’s known that medical cannabis serves a beneficial role in illnesses. So I think it’s a moral imperative that we do whatever we can to make sure that people obtain the medicine they need,” Driver said.

Seven years ago, Driver, a survivor of both breast and ovarian cancer, flew to Amsterdam to consume cannabis at the suggestion of her pain management doctor, who felt that it was time for her “to get off” the oxycodone she had been prescribed.

“By the time I got back (from Amsterdam), I was just taking a little tiny dose to keep my body from going into physical withdrawal,” Driver said.

Driver said her prior experience of consuming medical marijuana “absolutely” contributes to her positive perception of the drug as a form of medicine that “sick people in Hunterdon County deserve to have access to.

“It’s kind of funny, the opposition that you see. Nobody gets upset that we put in drug stores that are selling opioids, and they’re addictive. And yet they get upset over marijuana, which is not addictive. "We’re OK with a Rite Aid on the corner; why not a dispensary on the corner?”

Flemington Police Chief Jerry Rotella wrote a letter to Driver and the council voicing his support of the addition of a medical marijuana dispensary in the community.

“Everything I’ve read thus far appears to be positive. Not to mention the many medical benefits it (medical marijuana) provides for patient care and pain management,” Rotella said.

Two dispensary operators, Jonathon Goldrath of Standard Farms and Bob Pease of Franklin BioScience, presented the economic and medical advantages of opening a dispensary to the borough council, according to MyCentralJersey.com.

Goldrath and Pease will apply for licenses to open dispensaries in New Jersey.