Secaucus Pot Shop Will NOT Sell Recreational Pot, But These Shops Will

SECAUCUS, NJ — Thursday, April 21 is a historic day in the state of New Jersey: It's the day recreational marijuana sales can begin.

Starting now, anyone 21 and older can legally buy recreational marijuana at the following 13 stores. All 13 stores already sold medical pot, but they applied for a license to expand into recreational weed sales, and were approved by the state.

Hey, wait a second: Why isn't the Secaucus store on this list? That's because Harmony Dispensary on Castle Road did not apply for a license to sell recreational weed, said the state of New Jersey.

"Harmony Foundation did not apply for an expansion," said Toni-Anne Blake, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.

Harmony can still only sell medical marijuana.

Recreational licenses were also extremely difficult to get, as the state only approved a limited number. In March, the town of Secaucus decided to allow more pot businesses to open in the same building that houses Harmony.

Why? Tax revenue.

"I don't agree with it at all; I'm not for marijuana at all," Mayor Mike Gonnelli previously said. "But it's really a financial decision. Harmony brings in over $400,000 in taxes a year and I'm going to estimate we're going to get over a million, guaranteed (from recreational pot stores)."

"I don't want it, either," he continued. "But you can't stop it. Gov. Murphy made pot legal in this state. I'm looking at this as income. If we don't find a way to get new income, our taxes are going to go through the roof."

In the November 2020 election, 67 percent of NJ residents (2.7 million people) voted to legalize marijuana in the state. 1.3 million (32 percent) voted against the idea.

As of April 21, here is where you can buy recreational marijuana legally in North Jersey:

• Apothecarium, 1865 Springfield, Avenue, Maplewood
• Apothecarium, 55 South Main Street, Phillipsburg
• Ascend Wellness, 174 Route 17 North, Rochelle Park
• RISE, 26-48 Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield
• RISE, 196 3rd Avenue, #3C, Paterson

Central Jersey:

• Zen Leaf, 117 Sprint Street, Elizabeth
• Zen Leaf, 3256 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township

South Jersey:

• The Botanist, 100 Century Drive, Egg Harbor Township
• The Botanist, 2090 N Blackhorse Pike, Williamstown
• The Cannabist/Columbia Care, 1692 Clements Bridge Road, Deptford – 5 PM Open for recreational
• The Cannabist/Columbia Care, 1062 North Delsea Drive, Vineland – 5 PM Open for recreational
• Curaleaf, 640 Creek Road, Bellmawr
• Curaleaf, 4237 US-130 South, Edgewater Park

Recreational cannabis customers will be able to buy up to one ounce of dried flower or up to five grams of concentrates, resins, or oils, or 10 100mg packages of ingestible items in a single transaction.

The state cautions people to expect long lines at these stores on "opening day."

“We expect 13 locations for the entire state will make for extremely busy stores,” said Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. “The dispensaries have assured us that they are ready to meet the demand without disrupting patient access, and with minimal impact on the surrounding communities, but patience will be key to a good opening day.”

“We encourage everyone to be safe – buy only from licensed dispensaries and start low and go slow. Remember that the laws against impaired driving apply to being high,” cautioned Brown. “Our guests from neighboring states should remember it is illegal to transport cannabis across state lines.”

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