Will Hopatcong Soon be a Map Finder Loc for Medical Marijuana?

Hopatcong Land Use Board conceded the eligibility check marks that can open the doors for a NJ approved Medical Marijuana Dispensary Center in its borough. Hopatcong will be a uniquely noted map location once again like its legendary past.

Medical cannabis dispensaries have been open to qualified patients in New Jersey since December of 2012. However, it wasn’t until December of 2018 that the New Jersey state Department of Health established six medical marijuana dispensaries to have up and running in its program. It also planned for New Jersey to have 12 dispensaries across the state. Gov. Phil Murphy has called for a large expansion of the medical marijuana program and his administration took steps to immediately grow the program.

Hopatcong has been faced with challenges in finding a thriving community business industry to grow and remain in Hopatcong. Ray Foods the new produce market hadn’t gotten the growth it needed to keep its doors open and informed its customers it would be closing before summer’s end. Sadly, it was the only produce market in the borough of 14,298 residents. Many felt the produce market fulfilled a very central need to the community and sees its closure as a noticeable loss.

Hopatcong recently listened to Andrew Wagner, head of operations for Bloom Medicinal who expressed an interest in opening a medical cannabis dispensary in the borough. Bloom Medicinal operates in 3 different States. They receive their product from state-licensed cultivators, and that product is independently tested by a third party before sale to the patients. He believes the Ray Foods space would accommodate their needs. The building vacated by Rays Foods once held the Westshore Pharmacy 30-years ago. The site’s past use as a pharmacy provides automatic approval without a vote for a medical marijuana dispensary according to Mayor Francis and legal adviser Attorney William Haggerty, ESQ (noted in August 6, 2019, Land Use Board Meeting). The proposition was further confirmed from the census of the Board that this would be a permitted use within a B2 zone.

Hopatcong Land Use Board Chairman Gilbert asked about the traffic and visibility. Mr. Wagner stated, “I understand the concern, but the Ray Foods building accommodates the State required setbacks from parks and schools.” Wagner further explained the basic layout of the facility and security measures. This site location could expect to see between 20 and 40 patients a day.

Hopatcong has had a history of conflicted business industries when Hudson Maxim (pre-WWI innovative explosive inventor) was both its notorious (to pacifists) and celebrated (to pro military) resident. Ironically besides inventing better explosives for the defense industry, Hudson Maxim was also looking at the health benefits of the soya bean plant. In 1920 Scientific American had this to say of Hudson Maxim:

(Photo caption) “The inventor of smokeless powder experimenting with soya beans to produce a new food”.

Mr. Maxim is at present much interested in food and especially in producing a new army ration. He is the inventor of so-soya a word coined from ‘some’ and ‘soya’ indicating that the product contains some soya beans. Mr. Maxim believes that the soya bean, a staple in the East, must eventually become a staple in the West, on the account of its great food value He has worked over it until he has eliminated the harsh and uninviting taste which has prevented soya from being popular to Western palates and believes both ‘so-soya’ as a food element and his other preparations of soya beans must eventually find a prominent place on both American and European tables.

It appears that Hopatcong’s famous explosives founding father found good business sense in plant based products that could serve many a hundred years ago. Can today’s elected leaders change perspectives on the unique pharmacy opportunities proposed to them that may bring a healthy commercial tax ratable along with other patient health benefits from prescription cannabis? Time will soon tell if Hopatcong will become NJ’s seventh authorized dispensary site and noted go to location in Sussex County. Ironically the candidates for the Sussex County's Republican Freeholder race this November reside in Hopatcong Borough and they haven't yet voiced their concerns on this matter as an important platform issue either pro or con.