‘Monumental Day’ As Recreational Pot Goes On Sale In South Jersey

BELLMAWR, NJ – Curaleaf’s location on Creek Road in Bellmawr became the first dispensary in Camden County to sell recreational pot on Thursday.

There were at least 60 customers waiting for the dispensary to open about 10 minutes before its 8 a.m. opening. There were also clearly visible security guards, police officers and barricades in several locations.

(Conversely, there were seven people standing in line, no security guards or police officers visible and fewer barricades at 7:50 a.m. the day before the dispensary opened for recreational marijuana purposes.)

Thursday morning’s crowd was orderly, with some members taking selfies of themselves or pictures of those who had joined them for the historic opening. Traffic also appeared to flow at the same pace it normally would, albeit more vehicles and some drivers having a harder time finding parking.

Justin Dugary, 34, of Barrington told Patch on Thursday it was important for him to be the first one allowed in the dispensary when it opened that day, even if it meant standing in the same spot since midnight with temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

He also said a medical card to buy medicinal cannabis is out of his price range. Thus, he will use the marijuana he buys recreationally for medicinal purposes.

“I’ve had Crohn’s disease my whole life … and marijuana is the only thing that helps with my symptoms, the only thing that has allowed me to eat, sleep and live comfortably, even being so young,” Dugary said. "I appreciate how much it's helped me through my life and I wanted to be the first person to buy [recreational marijuana] legally.”

Several other New Jersey residents said they find it hard to support the Garden State’s latest sojourn into the burgeoning marijuana industry.

“I've seen and learned too many negatives about it to feel good about its legalization,” Stephanie Scanlon, of the West Deptford area, told Patch. “It's not like drinking alcohol where it's out of your system by the next day (depending on how much you drank). If you're a regular weed user, it stays in your system for much, much longer.”

Elizabeth Cristinzio, also of West Deptford, added that “there are way too many impaired drivers on the road now. This is just going to exacerbate the problem,” she told Patch.

Curaleaf CEO: Important Day, But There Is Still Work To Do

Joe Bayern, Curaleaf’s CEO, told Patch that Thursday was like no other day in his 20-plus year career that has also included stints with beverage and publishing companies.

“It's different than other product launches we've done. Usually, we just roll out slowly,” he said. “This is a monumental day and a long time in the coming.”

New Jersey has the potential to become a “substantial” player in the cannabis market, Bayern also said.

“We see this industry growing exponentially, we think New Jersey is going to be a great market for us,” he said in the interview, citing the state’s population density and ability to set trends. “We're really excited about getting started.”

One of the tasks on Curaleaf’s to-do list is decreasing the negative mindset that some have about marijuana, Bayern said, as is providing “clean, quality, high-quality safe products” to those who do appreciate marijuana’s medicinal benefits.

“There's a perception that anybody uses cannabis as a stoner and is lazy and doesn't want to work. And that's not the case,” he said. “We have to educate people on why cannabis should be part of everybody's health and wellness routine.”

If You Go

The legalization of recreational marijuana is appreciated, but people who need marijuana for medicinal purposes will remain Curaleaf’s top priority, the company said.

To that end, the company said it will “dedicate the first and last hour of each day of [its] 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule solely to serve medical patients.”

Curaleaf also said it intends to increase the number of point-of-sale systems, parking and staff at brick-and-mortar locations. The company added that online ordering remains an option as well.

Besides Bellmawr, recreational marijuana dispensaries that have been licensed by the state are also located in Bloomfield, Edgewater Park, Egg Harbor, Elizabeth, Lawrence, Maplewood, Paterson, Phillipsburg, Rochelle Park and Williamstown.

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