Montclair Dispensary Gets OK To Sell Recreational Cannabis

MONTCLAIR, NJ — New Jersey officials have given the greenlight to several more alternative treatment centers to sell recreational cannabis to the general public, including a dispensary in Montclair.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) gave an update about licensing and sales at its Tuesday meeting. Read More: More NJ Dispensaries Approved To Sell Recreational Marijuana

NJCRC officials noted that the following companies have been approved to begin personal-use sales to adults:

• Ascend Wellness – Montclair
• TerrAscend – Lodi
• Ayr Wellness – Woodbridge, Union, Eatontown

All five locations have been certified to have an adequate supply of cannabis for their patients with medical marijuana cards, who must be prioritized – a state requirement.

Business license applications which are approved must go through further processing before they are permitted to open and operate.

It’s still unclear when some of the newly approved dispensaries will open their doors to the general public, although Garden State Dispensary (owned by Ayr Wellness) is expected to begin recreational sales in the next few weeks. Read More: Eatontown Pot Shop Can Now Sell Recreational Weed, Too

Another dispensary, Curaleaf’s location in Edgewater Park, was part of the initial group of 13 that were cleared to sell recreational cannabis in April. After seeing a delay due to additional zoning/construction work, Curaleaf said it plans to begin recreational sales on Wednesday.

The New Jersey medical marijuana dispensaries that have already opened their doors to the public for recreational sales are located in:

• Curaleaf – Bellmawr
• Verano (Zen Leaf) – Elizabeth, Lawrence
• GTI (Rise) – Bloomfield, Paterson
• Columbia Care – Deptford, Vineland
• Acreage – Egg Harbor, Williamstown
• TerrAscend – Maplewood, Phillipsburg
• Ascend Wellness – Rochelle Park

The list of dispensaries currently permitted to sell recreational cannabis can be found through the 'Find a dispensary' link on the NJCRC website.

ASCEND IN MONTCLAIR

In 2020, Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc. purchased the Greenleaf Compassion Center at 395 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, which was the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in New Jersey.

In April, Ascend told Patch that it expected to be able to sell adult-use cannabis products at its Montclair location later this year, after the town finalizes its plans for adult-use sales.

The Montclair Town Council authorized a resolution of support to Ascend to expand into recreational sales on May 3.

Recently, a group of 22 employees who work at the Montclair facility formed a union and ratified their first work agreement. The bargaining unit – which consists of customer service representatives known as budtenders – marks the first time that employees of Ascend will be protected by a union contract.

• Read More: Workers At Montclair Medical Marijuana Dispensary Form Union

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