Cannabis Dispensary Opening Lags Behind In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown residents eagerly anticipating the official opening of the town's first cannabis dispensary were recently given an update on the time-consuming process.

The dispensary, which will be located on Ridgedale Avenue, will replace a defunct budget truck rental agency. The chosen location is on a busy route at the border of Morris Township, across from a former state motor vehicle inspection station, a bank, and a lumberyard.

The Morristown council first approved the resolution allowing the vendor Uma Flowers to open Morristown's first cannabis dispensary in late May 2022.

Uma Flowers, a Massachusetts-based company founded by two sisters, was selected over five local applicants for the council's first cannabis license, sparking some tension in the community.

• Read more: Cannabis Decision Upheld, Following Appeal To Morristown Council

According to a Sept. 12 report from town administrator Jillian Barrick, the process of finalizing all of the approvals for the new business is taking longer than anticipated.

Tejal and Priyanka Patel, sisters-in-law who own Uma Flowers, are currently waiting for a permanent license approval from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which is expected to meet with the sisters in October.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission establishes and enforces the rules and regulations governing the licensing, cultivation, testing, selling and purchasing of cannabis in the state.

"That's where they stand. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission is going through their own sort of process to finalize their license," Barrick said.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission's director of communication, Toni-Anne Blake, stated that the Cannabis Regulatory Commission is not currently accepting applications for Class 3 licenses. Applications for Class 3 and two other classes will be available on Sept. 27, depending on the applicant's priority status.

While the procedure at the Cannabis Regulatory Commission has taken a little longer than planned, Barrick added that the Patels have begun all of their land use permitting in town in order to speed up the process and get to a demolition timeline.

The structure of the future building will include two separate spaces, one of which will be a one-story retail area and the other a two-story area that will house employee offices and other back-office operations.

"They had to apply to the DEP for DEP licensing because it is close to a waterway. They finally got that license after almost nine months. Now, they are going to do soil disturbance, and once they get that, they can proceed with a demo permit. They are moving toward getting everything finalized and getting construction started," Barrick said.

Once the dispensary opens its doors, the business will initially be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

For the first four weeks of business, customers will need to place their orders online and make a pickup appointment in order to purchase goods from Uma Flowers.

Every 15 minutes, there will be 28 appointment slots that will become available for online orders.

The Morristown Police Department will also initially deploy a security detail during peak hours.

An opening date for the store is still not certain, but the dispensary will provide customers with both recreational and medicinal marijuana products.