Weed at the Shore? Depends on the town. | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, dedicated readers of the Inquirer Morning Newsletter.

First: A considerable number of Jersey Shore towns aren’t so stoked about the idea of legal weed dispensaries proliferating along the Shore.

Then: As President Joe Biden puts a climate-focused infrastructure plan at the top of the agenda, Pa. progressive activists are seizing the moment.

And: Penn Museum apologized to members of MOVE yesterday for keeping the remains of a MOVE member rather than returning them to family.

— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Jersey municipalities have exactly 180 days (until August) to pass laws to keep dispensaries out of their towns after the new adult-use cannabis laws signed this year by the governor of New Jersey.

Earlier this month, Ocean City adopted an ordinance that bans businesses that cultivate, manufacture, test, or sell cannabis. Other popular Shore towns, including Stone Harbor, Sea Isle City, Wildwood Crest, and Cape May, are already in the process of passing similar proactive bans on weed sales. More towns are likely to follow suit.

Councilman Jody Levchuk, who said he is a medical marijuana patient himself, worries about “a smoke-fest” on Ocean City’s beaches and boardwalk tarnishing the “America’s Favorite Family Resort” image. He’s not alone when it comes to adopting bans, though North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello, who’s in the ban camp, noted that towns may potentially embrace dispensaries if there are successful examples.

Last summer, the landscape before these laws was not exactly smoke-free, and dispensaries for medical marijuana are there. One called The Botanist popped up on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, and there’s one arriving on New York Avenue. Both could potentially be converted to sales for adult use when regulations are set.

Read reporter Amy S. Rosenberg’s full story on how legally buying weed at the Jersey Shore will depend on what town you’re in.

A coalition of Pennsylvania climate activists and progressive groups is advocating for President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats to go as big as possible as Washington debates Biden’s $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure proposal. He also formally pledged last week that the U.S. would cut its emissions at least by half by 2030.

So it’s a big moment for activists, who are seizing the moment for meaningful action on climate change and investments in a green economy.

They hope to also change climate and energy politics in Harrisburg, where Republicans control the legislature and the natural gas industry wields significant power. Democrats may be unable to pass any climate legislation, given their slim majorities in Congress. But the relatively smooth passage of Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion relief bill last month showed how the pandemic has altered the politics of big government spending. That spurs hope for activists, many of whom say they’re encouraged by Biden’s approach.

Read on for reporter Andrew Seidman’s story on what this moment means to activists.

We interrupt your primo CBC (cherry blossom content) programming to bring you a blink-and-you-miss-it bloom.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!

“Pennsylvania has a choice: Wait for the decline or manage it, benefiting workers and the environment.” — The Inquirer Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom, writes that fracking jobs will disappear, and it’s on Pa. to manage this.

To be more environmentally friendly, Tiffin is Philly’s first restaurant offering the option of reusable plastic takeout containers. The chain’s customers can opt to use, wash, and return boxes that can be sanitized and reused up to 1,000 times.