New Brunswick, NJ Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

New Brunswick Municipal Code § 5.09.020 is the consumption section of the city's cannabis licensing chapter. Under § 5.09.010, the City of New Brunswick opted in to allow legal cannabis establishments of all six license classes enabled by the State of New Jersey, but consumption is tightly limited. Subsection (A) prohibits on-premises consumption of cannabis, in any of its forms, at a licensed cannabis establishment. Any establishment seeking an endorsement for on-premises consumption must be denied, and the ban includes all outdoor areas on the property. Subsection (B) prohibits consumption of cannabis in any of its forms in or outside of any non-residential property. Subsection (D) prohibits consumption in any public place, as defined in P.L. 2021, c 16, a definition the city incorporates by reference rather than reprinting.

Subsection (C) leaves cannabis consumption on residential property to the discretion of the owner or management of that property, so a landlord or building manager decides whether it is allowed on a residential premises.

A second layer sits in Chapter 8.33, Smoking in Public. Its definition of "smoking" covers burning, inhaling from or possessing a lighted product that contains cannabis, and "smoking device" expressly includes cannabis, marijuana and hashish delivery devices such as vape pens and bongs. Section 8.33.030 bans smoking in city-owned vehicles, open spaces, parks and recreation areas, at any scheduled public event, and in designated George Street dining areas. Under § 8.33.040, all members of the police department are designated enforcement officers for that chapter.