NJ Dispensary Owners Finally Open Satellites

By Stu Zakim

As someone who was identified by the paper of record, The NY Times, as a long-time medical patient, I must say one of the best things about 2021 so far is the long-awaited opening of satellite locations of the first 12 medical Cannabis dispensary licensees in New Jersey.

When the state initially drew up the geographic locations - 3 for North Jersey, 3 for Central Jersey, and 3 for South Jersey, each was granted two satellite locations. When an additional six licenses were issued, the same opportunity was extended to them, bringing ultimately the total, as of today, to 18. No longer do some patients have to drive hours to get their medicine; the goal of creating more patient access to their medicine is getting closer to achievement.

One of the side benefits, besides a better selection and variety of products with this expansion, is how each new dispensary seems to be competing for who has the coolest and most uniquely designed location. When the first dispensary, formerly Greenleaf and now a branch of the Ascend chain based in Montclair, the experience was far from user friendly. The owner and employees operated on a very limited schedule and it was not what you’d want to be the poster child of what NJ patients could expect going forward; no atmosphere, red vinyl loveseats that looked like leftover furniture from a Chinese restaurant, and of course, sub-par product.

Fast forward to 2021. As Cannabis dispensaries were deemed “essential” businesses during the pandemic, they never stopped operating and in fact, proceeded with their expansion plans. And, I must say, the results are amazing. Whether it’s TerrAscend’s “The Apothecarium,” whose Phillipsburg location is in an old art deco bank and recently opened Maplewood site makes you feel like you’re in a high end jewelry store or Ascend’s similarly superbly appointed Rochelle Park site or GTI’s Rise’s in Paramus, it’s a totally different world and only gives a tease of what will happen once adult-use dispensary licenses are issued later this year. And for the Munkey family in NJ, good news is consumption lounges are legal but must be attached to a dispensary, rather than free-standing. Finally, the Cannabis experience in NJ will at last live up to the state’s nickname as “The Garden State, and with New York not far behind, the bar has been raised pretty high in NJ so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. But what fun it will be contrasting and comparing them when that happens.

Till next time.