Medical Marijuana Biz Expands In NJ With Bloomfield Dispensary

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A company that runs medical marijuana dispensaries in Paramus and Paterson recently opened a third location in Bloomfield.

Green Thumb Industries Inc., the owner of Rise Dispensaries, had planned to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new dispensary at 26-48 Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield on Wednesday. That event was canceled, but the new dispensary’s opening still heralds a new shift in the landscape when it comes to medical cannabis in North Jersey.

The new Bloomfield location is the third medical cannabis dispensary Green Thumb Industries has opened in New Jersey since it obtained a vertical license in 2018. The license permits the Chicago-based company to operate three cannabis retail/dispensary locations in New Jersey.

Green Thumb Industries now has 13 manufacturing facilities, licenses for 97 retail locations and operations across 12 U.S. markets. Established in 2014, the company employs more than 2,400 people and serves thousands of patients and customers each year.

When the company opened its Bloomfield dispensary in September, it donated profits from the first day of sales to the Bloomfield Youth Aid Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides services to local youth.

As New Jersey continues to establish the regulatory framework under which adult recreational cannabis use will take effect, New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana Program has grown six-fold since 2018, with about 120,000 patients, more than 1,300 doctors and nearly 4,600 caregivers now participating in the program.

Many patients and advocates have been sounding the alarm about a lack of cannabis and high prices due to the explosion in enrollment, however, and have been demanding that the state allow more grow facilities and dispensaries to open.

Last week, the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission voted to issue 10 new licenses for medical marijuana cultivators, and four new licenses for vertically integrated businesses, which grow, manufacture and sell medical marijuana at dispensaries.

RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IN BLOOMFIELD

It isn't just medical marijuana dispensaries that are getting ready to set up shop in Bloomfield.

In August, the Bloomfield Town Council paved the way for recreational cannabis businesses to come to town, approving local regulations just days in advance of a state-imposed deadline.

Bloomfield’s ordinance will allow for at least six recreational cannabis businesses. Stores will be allowed in the central business district and neighborhood business district, but not the historic district.

All retail licenses would be "class five," allowing cannabis items and supplies to be sold. Three of the licenses will be "micro licenses," given to businesses that occupy less than 2,500 square feet and have 10 employees or less.

• See related article: Bloomfield Council Votes To Allow Marijuana Businesses

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