In March 2022, we applied to the Township Committee for them to uphold the existing Cannabis Ordinance. They then denied us due process.. In a welcome change, Mayor Deal has recently acknowledged receipt of our application which was resubmitted on April 21, 2026, and we expect an opportunity to discuss the application with the municipal Cannabis Advisory Committee (created by the West Amwell Township Cannabis Ordinance), then, according to WAT law, the CAC “advises” the Township Committee about the Application, and the Township Committee either has to approve, deny or otherwise Conditionally Approve the Applicants request for “Municipal Authority”

Below is the text from our home page back in December 2025, when the then outgoing WAT Mayor, again attempted to deny our freedom to pursue a legal business in a location that previously had been permitted.

Allow Microbusinesses, In Rural Areas, they make sense and are a good way to promote opportunity and local jobs. 

——————————————————— DECEMBER 2025 Posting

We operate a diversified small farm in West Amwell, NJ.

NJ State law provides an opportunity for us to cultivate cannabis,

October 24, 2025 the Superior Court of NJ: Law Division, Civil Court Hunterdon County, Docket # Docket No. HNT-L-000040-24 – Ruled that West Amwell Township has failed to maintain the protection of its citizens, by ignoring the standard practice of Notifying Residents when significant changes to the zoning is being considered. 

Continuing in their bias and discrimination against our lawful application, the 2021 Township Committee members had attempted to unreasonably deny the Freedom of North Slope Farm to apply for Conditional Approval under the existing Township Ordinance, that says we should be allowed to develop and operate a State Licensed Micro-Business on our property. 

The Superior Court of NJ, Hunterdon County, found that the Repeal of the Cannabis Ordinance, without Planning Board and Public Notice, Public Hearings and normal Due Process has been DENIED.  So we start again…

The good news is, this doesn’t have to be the end result,

Support farmers freedom to pursue business opportunities without delay!

Support Business, Support Freedom, Support Farmers!

West Amwell Mayor Balaam, Gary Hoyer and Cally voted to deny the freedom of rural residents, in West Amwell Township, NJ, on December 30, 2025, by repealing the existing Cannabis Ordinance, that protects our “conditional” freedom to establish a Microbusiness Cannabis Cultivation option. Despite multiple calls from another Township Committee member and many calls from the public, Balaam refused to recuse himself, which would have left the vote balanced between the republicans and the democrats. Balaam has a property line conflict with the one applicant who actually does care, about cannabis, and about retaining the freedom to protect rural business opportunities (see our public comment presented at the meeting, below).

Each Committee member who commented said, “I don’t care about cannabis,” but Balaam wants the tax money from large scale Cannabisnesses, while Township Committee member Hudson spoke about the dubious origins of the original Cannabis Ordinance (unresolved “conflict of interest” with the original Cannabis Ordinance author, being employed by the only West Amwell cannabis License holder) and the “sketchy justifications” for the December 30 repeal of rural opportunities. Hoyer, Cally and Balaam referred repeatedly to their fear of West Amwell rural residents and justified their repeal of the existing Ordinance as the best way to block NJ Grow Free llc, who has an ongoing complaint against this unjustified repeal.

I presented the following Public Comment below, at the Public Hearing, which was followed immediately with the denial of freedom votes by Balaam, Hoyer and Cally.

Public Comment at West Amwell Township Public Hearing; December 30, 2025

Michael Rassweiler, residing on Rock Rd E, West Amwell Twp.

My wife and I, since 2022, been trying to get the Township Committee to uphold the Cannabis Law, and allow us due process. 

Since we started farming here in 1995, we have reclaimed the Agricultural potential of this property.  Over 25 years of our Stewardship we have remediated the catastrophic erosion, we have established and maintain soil conservation Diversions and Permanent Grass Waterways.  From the beginning of my management of this Farm Property, I worked closely with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), to be sure our farming practices are of the highest standard, protecting the soil from erosion, providing ample buffer zones to provide for healthy wildlife and diverse habitat, protecting our stream water quality and providing for Soil Health for the generations of farmers to come.  I maintain Organic Certification of our farming operation, and have done so for over 25 years.  Our soil health has dramatically improved during my stewardship, the value of our crop production has dramatically improved, we have experience establishing new crops and markets,

and having our right protected to grow Cannabis, as a microbusiness, is a logical addition to further diversify and invigorate established agricultural practices.

When we found that West Amwell Conditionally permits the cultivation of Cannabis, we submitted our proposal to the Township Committee for their review and began a frustrating process seeking Conditional Municipal Authority, to grow a legal crop, in a greenhouse, on our farm.

My proposal submitted to the Township Committee in 2022 included a business plan intended to help them understand the potential for small farms like ours to benefit from this incredible opportunity, and I respectfully request that the following facts be a priority in your consideration of this issue. 

The West Amwell Master Plan clearly states that it is the intention of the Township to support farming.  It also clearly recognizes that Cannabis is an Agricultural Crop and that supporting farmers to cultivate cannabis is an obvious way to support farming.

Our Business Plan, for NJ Grow Free LLC, secured the Conditional Approval of the State of NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ CRC), and while waiting for the Local Cannabis Advisory Committee to provide an opportunity to apply, we grew Hemp Cannabis for two years in the fields, with a Hemp Growers License from the NJ Dept. of Agriculture.

We have confirmation from the NJ Division of Taxation that we can establish a limited area for Cannabis Cultivation on our farm property, we have experience growing the crop without offending neighbors, and we have agricultural infrastructure already in place to be able to start as soon as the Township provides a legitimate path.

Please support Agriculture in West Amwell by Affirming the existing Cannabis Ordinance, allowing rural areas, to maintain the current conditional permission for MicroBusinesses.

Please vote “NO CHANGE” to the Existing and Established Cannabis Ordinance.

Your Voice can protect Rural Opportunity, because right now the Republican Mayors of West Amwell Township are using their power to spend money and set agendas, to deny rural residents the rights that we currently have.

Tuesday December 30th, at 7:30 PM – Tell the Township Committee to Protect Opportunities in Rural Areas, do not limit economic opportunities to highways and commercial districts, rural areas need opportunities like this to stay viable and diverse in production and markets.

West Amwell Rural resident landowners, along with all the other Land Development Zones, have a small opportunity to apply for a license for a microbusiness Cannabis Cultivation authority.

There is no risk to West Amwell Township from microbusiness cultivation operations, in fact, the opposite is true. New businesses will provide tax revenue from underproductive land, and stimulate employment and a diversity of associated opportunities. It is a small opportunity, because only two total Microbusinesses are allowed, in the Town, and microbusinesses are severely limited in their capacity.

The Problem is that West Amwell Mayors have not been upholding the Cannabis Ordinance, in general, and have specifically denied us our repeated requests for a legal local licensing process.

Click here to learn why we filed a complaint against the previous attempt to repeal the current zoning, and please note that the State Judge ruled against the Township Committee; already denying this repeal of the zoning. The Mayor needs to justify why after all these years, repeatedly amending the Ordinance, now they repeal it, all without any legitimate record of the decision-making process!

Sungrown cannabis, in a greenhouse, or if allowed, in the open air, directly provides investment opportunities for New Jersey agriculture.

Sungrown Cannabis Supports Investment and Opportunities for New Jersey Farmers!

NJ Grow Free LLC is a West Amwell Township, Woman Owned, cannabis cultivation partnership, already approved by the State of NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission, ready to start paying rent to the landowner, and taxes to West Amwell, to grow Cannabis Organically, in a hardened greenhouse, surrounded by a fence, with alarms, far from our property lines, in our Rural District.

We believe that rural areas should have economic opportunities developed and supported!

Click Here to learn more about what we propose, and please support the protection of Opportunities for Agriculture in Rural Areas !!

Why Deny a Farmer’s Opportunity, in West Amwell Township, in rural areas, from growing a legal crop in the Sun?

That is what is happening right now, the Republican Mayors of West Amwell Township, after first adopting the Cannabis Ordinance in 2021, have repeatedly reduced access to this legally protected Activity, dramatically reducing allowed Cultivation Opportunities, to then attempting to remove the right from rural residents to even be allowed to grow a crop that is being allowed in other areas.

Mayors Cally, Hoyer, and now Balaam have all failed to uphold the Cannabis Ordinance, by denying us an application to be heard by the Cannabis Advisory Committee, without any justification or explanation. These Mayors have all been serving while, blocking us, then attempting to repeal the Zoning in 2023, which we confronted, as being unjustified and unreasonable. The New Jersey Court ruled in our favor, and the litigation is ongoing, and until the Judge’s final ruling, it is inappropriate for the Mayor to pursue another zoning repeal, without proper justification and due process.

Click this link to read our original request for Due Process, in March of 2022.

This Link to learn about our NJ State Cannabis Cultivator, Conditional License, March 8, 2023.

When we first attempted to apply, for Municipal Authority (a requirement of the State of NJ Cannabis License), in 2022, the Cannabis Ordinance allowed “unlimited cultivation centers”, but it also required the plant to be grown in energy intensive indoor settings, including regulations that basically make it nearly impossible to do business, without constant local interference and fines. The Ordinance was amended to incentivize investment in Agricultural Development, by directing applicants to grow in the sun, in a greenhouse, not electric lights, in a warehouse.

Our proposal is unique, we want to support the normalization of this valuable cash crop, and we believe it can be done using traditional agricultural practices, with seasonality and just a short period of time when there is any actual security issue (annual harvest and short processing period in the fall).

Link Here to an Informational Brochure, explaining what we are proposing.