Brick Company Hopes To Open Medical Marijuana Dispensary In Town

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township could become home to the first medical marijuana dispensary in Ocean County if an application from a local company is approved by the New Jersey Department of Health.

Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care has applied to the state for a license to operate a medical marijuana alternative treatment center in Brick, and it is holding an information meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 2, to answr concerns and questions about its plan.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Brick Township municipal building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road.

"This will be solely and exclusively a medical marijuana dispensary," said attorney Anne Davis, a Brick resident and the chief executive officer of Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care. "We will never propose to sell recreational marijuana."

For Davis, who's lived in Brick for 30 years, medical marijuana is a personal issue: she has multiple sclerosis, and manages the symptoms through the use of medical marijuana.

"I haven't had a relapse in five years" as a result of the medical marijuana, which she said she uses only at night to treat stiffness that has set in during the day. Davis has relapsing-remitting MS, which causes episodic bouts of fatigue, numbness, vision problems, spasticity and other issues, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Davis said she and Karen Medlin, a Marlboro Township resident whose daughter is special needs and uses cannabis to manage her daughter's symptoms, filed the application with the state in July to try to bring a dispensary closer to Ocean and Monmouth County residents.

"The closest one (to Brick) is in Woodbridge, which is 50 minutes away," Davis said. The other options, including one in Egg Harbor Township, are more than an hour away. "We want to bring a consisitent, quality product to local residents."

Davis said the company has hired Joel Allcock as its chief operating officer. He has several years of experience, including establishing the first medical marijuana dispensary in Delaware and helping to get that state's program off the ground. He also was involved with the operation of a dispensary in Rhode Island.

The meeting on Tuesday aims to help educate residents about New Jersey's medicinal marijuana program, as well as answer questions residents have about the proposal for the dispensary, which is scheduled to go before the Brick Township Board of Adjustment on Oct. 10, Davis said.

Davis said Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care has been in extensive discussions with township officials to ensure every possible concern is addressed. Detailed security plans have been presented to Police Chief James Riccio, she said, that include extensive surveillance camera coverage, uniformed security guards and other measures. A retired state trooper has been hired as the facility's security director, she said.

"People won't even be able to get in the door unless they have a patient card or a caregiver card," Davis said.

The facility also will have a team of nurses, she said.

In advance of the meeting, which is not sponsored by the township, Davis said the company has been speaking with neighbors to address and answer their concerns.

"We want to do the right thing," she said.

The proposed location, the plans for the facility and the management of the site all will be addressed at the meeting. The presentation also will include information on New Jersey's medical marijuana program. The session is open to all Brick residents and the company is inviting anyone with questions or concerns to come to the meeting.

New Jersey currently has six medicinal marijuana dispensaries. Earlier this year, Gov. Phil Murphy enacted several reforms to that made more patients eligible for the medical marijuana program, including lowering registration fees, adding more eligible conditions, and no longer requiring doctors to list their names in a public registry. There are now more than 32,000 patients in the registry, according to the state Department of Health.

In response to the increase in the number of patients, Murphy in July announced the state would accept applications to add six more dispensaries — two in each region of the state, north, central and south — to improve access.

Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care was one of 146 applicants for the six new licenses. Applicants had to submit a business plan, including a five-year budget and revenue projections, and will need to receive approval from the town where they plan to operate.

Read More:

• Marijuana Dispensaries Could Double In NJ After Murphy Request
• Rush For Medical Marijuana In NJ After New Conditions Approved
• New Jersey Medical Marijuana: Panel OKs 5 New Conditions
• Gov. Phil Murphy Just Made It Easier To Get Marijuana In NJ

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Note: This article has been updated to correct that the proposal is going before the Board of Adjustment, and to add the name and hometown of Karen Medlin.

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