6th New Jersey Medical Marijuana Dispensary Still Waiting For State Approval

SECAUCUS, NJ — More than five years after its backers launched a bid to become one of New Jersey’s inaugural six medical marijuana dispensaries, a proposed Secaucus facility is still waiting for a final go-ahead from the Department of Health, state officials confirmed this week.

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 – located in Montclair, Egg Harbor, Woodbridge, Cranbury and Bellmawr – 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

But while the other inaugural applicants have begun to thrive, Harmony Foundation’s application to open the state’s sixth ATC facility nonprofit in Secaucus is still mired in the permit application process, state officials say.

IS PROGRESS BEING MADE?

According to the 2016 New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program report, the ongoing examination of Harmony Foundation’s principals, corporate structure and funding source was initiated on Dec. 2, 2014.

In January of 2015, the Hudson Reporter stated that Harmony Foundation’s proposed facility at 600 Meadowlands Parkway was still vacant, with a gutted interior waiting for construction work.

The prospective dispensary’s application has still not been approved, officials stated Monday.

“Harmony Foundation is going through a background investigation,” Leusner told Patch. “The ATC permit application process, including the background investigation requirement, is spelled out in the rules at NJAC 8:64-7. The length of time it takes to complete a background investigation varies, depending on the complexity of the application, the principals, the corporate structure, funding sources and the timeliness of responses to department questions.”

According to Leusner, the permit application process for another Alternative Treatment Center took about 20 months.

However, the permit application periods for other ATCs have been shorter than Harmony Foundation’s:

• Examination of Greenleaf Compassion Center principals and business structure was initiated on Dec. 15, 2011. The examination was completed on April 16, 2012.
• Examination of Compassionate Care Foundation principals was initiated on Feb. 13, 2012. Examination was completed on March 18, 2013.
• Examination of Garden State Dispensary principals was initiated on Sept. 4, 2012. Examination was completed on April 24, 2013.

As of Wednesday, a listed website for Harmony Foundation, harmonyfoundationmmjnj.com, was inactive. The group’s Facebook page hasn’t posted since 2010.

A Star-Ledger review of Harmony Foundation in 2011 alleged that two of the nonprofit’s directors went bankrupt and one of the center’s medical advisers faced allegations of insurance fraud in New York.

Photo: Flickr Commons

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com