Let It Grow: NJ Approves Permit For 6th Medical Marijuana Dispensary

SECAUCUS, NJ — There's just one more step before the Harmony Foundation in Secaucus gets the official go-ahead to start serving New Jersey medical marijuana patients. And if the facility’s cannabis quality and operations are up to snuff, the dispensary could be ready for a grand opening by the end of 2017, state officials say.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) issued a permit to Harmony Foundation in Secaucus for its facility at 600 Meadowland Parkway to begin growing medicinal marijuana. According to state officials, the permit was issued after a “comprehensive review,” including several site inspections, background checks of its corporate officers and a review of its security operations and cultivation facility.

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Harmony Foundation would be the sixth Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) licensed to operate in the state. The Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) currently has five ATCs dispensing cannabis to patients:

• Greenleaf Compassion Center of Montclair
• Compassionate Care Foundation of Egg Harbor
• Garden State Dispensary of Woodbridge
• Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center of Cranbury
• Compassionate Sciences of Bellmawr

It’s been more than five years since Harmony Foundation launched their bid to become one of New Jersey’s inaugural six medical marijuana dispensaries.

DOH officials issued the following statement about their decision on Thursday:

“After Harmony Foundation’s product has been tested by the state laboratory and the dispensary is operational and inspected by the MMP, a second permit will be issued to operate and dispense as an ATC. Once Harmony Foundation is permitted as an ATC, the MMP will notify the more than 13,200 active patients and 620 caregivers by email of the opening date and procedure for registering with the ATC.”

Harmony Foundation administrators said the facility is expected to begin dispensing medicinal marijuana to registered patients and caregivers by the end of 2017, DOH officials stated.

• See related article: New Jersey Marijuana Patients Offer Human Side To Weed Debate

The Harmony team is led by President and CEO Shaya Brodchandel, who has a background in nuclear medical manufacturing, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

“After two years of designing and constructing this state-of-the-art facility, we are excited to finally put it into action, and to serve New Jersey’s patients with the purest and most effective medical marijuana,” Brodchandel said. “We have selected strains which we believe are well-suited for NJ medical patient’s conditions and to our unique growing system.”

Harmony’s 10,000 square-foot indoor grow facility will include automated technology that can create a daily rotation of plants that will enable the ATC to continuously plant and harvest cannabis. Data logging of every aspect of the production process is managed to ensure “maximum performance, purity and consistency,” the nonprofit stated.

As for security:

“The building is reinforced to avoid penetration, and is fully monitored with sensors, cameras and alarms. Internal controls include seed-to-sale labeling and tracking of each plant. Workers are required to pass through an air shower into the clean facility before layering on work apparel, designed to protect the building and its contents from human and other environmental intruders. Visitor access to our growing spaces is very limited, but all who enter must also pass through the clean process, donning special coverings over clothes and shoes after passing through the air shower to remove any microscopic contaminants.”

According to its members, Harmony Foundation is expected to supply medical marijuana for up to 4,000 patients per month.

• See related article: 6th New Jersey Medical Marijuana Dispensary Still Waiting For State Approval
• See related article: Christie Calls N.J. Marijuana Legalization ‘Stupid’

MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN NEW JERSEY

New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, signed into law in 2010, allows for “a sufficient number of Alternative Treatment Centers” throughout the state, including two each in the northern, southern and central regions, according to Donna Leusner of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Under the state’s medical marijuana law, the first two centers in each region issued a permit must be nonprofit entities; other centers issued permits can be nonprofit or for-profit.

The state’s five approved nonprofit Alternative Treatment Centers reported massive growth last year, more than doubling their cannabis output in 2016, according to the DOH’s annual medical marijuana report.

• See related article: N.J. Medical Marijuana: Dispensaries Show Explosive Growth In 2016

Patients and caregivers can visit the MMP's website if they choose to change the ATC designated to serve them. The change can also be made by calling the Customer Service Unit of the MMP at 609-292-0424 and does not require changing ID cards.

Patients can refer to the FAQ section of the MMP website for additional information. The 474 active physicians enrolled in the program are listed by county and medical specialty. Find a participating doctor here.

New Jersey residents interested in registering for the MMP can click here. Additional information about the MMP, including contact information for the ATCs, is available here.

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Photos: Harmony Foundation