NJ’s First Weed Dispensary Is Leaving Montclair For Morris County

MONTCLAIR, NJ — When New Jersey first opened the doors for medical marijuana sales, Montclair – which is home to the state’s first dispensary – was at the front of the vanguard. But residents will soon find themselves without a local place to purchase legal cannabis when Ascend Wellness leaves town.

Ascend will be closing the doors to its dispensary at 395 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair on June 16. The company will be moving to a new location at 325 Route 15 North in Wharton, with an expected opening date of “mid-June” and a grand opening set for June 28.

The Wharton location will sell both medical and recreational cannabis. It will also have a drive-thru option for customers. See Related: Montclair Marijuana Dispensary Is Moving To Morris County

Ascend owns two other dispensaries in New Jersey, which are located in Rochelle Park and Fort Lee.

Ascend’s Montclair location, formerly known as the Greenleaf Compassion Center, was the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open for business. Ascend took over operations in Montclair in 2020.

A group of 22 customer service representatives, or "budtenders," formed a union at the Montclair store in 2022.

News first surfaced late last year that the company may be pulling out of the Essex County community, with Ascend citing an oversaturated legal cannabis market as the main reason.

Ascend’s departure will leave Montclair without a cannabis dispensary. The town granted two retail cannabis licenses in May 2023, but neither location appears close to opening, NorthJersey.com reported this week.

One of them, Night Owl, would be located on the site of the former DLV Lounge on Bloomfield Avenue. The other, Kush Connections, would be located on Valley Road.

• See Related: Montclair Awards 2 Marijuana Business Licenses To Dispensaries
• See Related: New Montclair Dispensary Will Celebrate Link Between Cannabis, Music

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