JC READY

JC Ready, as recreational cannabis industry launches

Daniel Israel

Daniel Israel

Daniel Israel

Story and Photos by Daniel Israel

Jersey City is getting ready, with much excitement and anticipation, to launch its adult-use recreational cannabis industry. On March 15, the state began accepting applications, receiving a fl ood of applicants awaiting their shot at being a part of the newly legal industry.

Ahead of the offi cial launch, insiders have been preparing for the fl oodgate to be lifted in the months prior. Jersey City Magazine attended a networking event hosted by NJ Cannabis Insider at the Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden in Jersey City on February 17 to get a sense for how things were coming together.

The cannabis-oriented get-together, although the plant was not present at the event, was a networking extravaganza for entrepreneurs eager to get their hands on some of that good green. And by that I’m referring to both the cannabis plant and the loads of cash the soon-to-be bustling business. Those eager to break into the market networked with each other over, heard from professional vendors of muchneeded equipment from purchasing systems to security, among other things, all over complimentary drinks and a buff et of food.

The keynote of the event was a conversation with a group of panelists who discussed how they were preparing for the legal market, from business ideas, application tips, and other highlights of the best ways to achieve success in the cannabis industry. Tips were exchanged, business cards swapper, and vital information passed between those in-the-know.

Insiders met again on March 15, albeit not in Jersey City, in celebration of the acceptance of applications, but also to discuss the challenges that they as cannabis entrepreneurs will face. And more meetings are planned for the months ahead, as many questions and obstacles remain for the infant industry.

While those seeking to get their foot in the door of the industry eagerly apply for licenses by the state, some are still at the part in the process where they are seeking approval from Jersey City. In late March, the city approved its fi rst recreational dispensary in the Heights on Tonnelle Avenue, with many more approved by the Planning Board, most of them for retail dispensaries but a consumption lounge has also been approved.

City offi cials have been on board with allowing recreational cannabis establishments in Jersey City, with Councilman Yousef Saleh making an appearance at the February gathering of cannabis insiders in Jersey City. And Mayor Steven Fulop has said that he will not damper the potential of the industry in the city.

“I was an early supporter of legalization, and as a city, we won’t put artifi cial obstacles around success or a NIMBY mindset,” Fulop said. “Instead, we’ll follow the new laws of NJ and Jersey City, we will support applicants that balance social equity, and then we will let the local market decide winners and losers based on the business owner’s execution of their business model.”

With everything in motion, it won’t be long before both recreational and medical cannabis will be grown, sold, and smoked in Jersey City.—JCM