West Orange Man Wants To Bring Marijuana Shop To His Hometown

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A West Orange resident is trying to bring a recreational marijuana dispensary to his hometown, he says.

Corey Dishmen is one of the entrepreneurs behind The Library of New Jersey, a minority-owned company seeking to enter the cannabis market in the Garden State. Along with co-founder, Charles Penn, he’s seeking to obtain a retail marijuana dispensary license or micro-license and launch the state’s first Black-owned recreational cannabis retail shop.

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Dishmen told Patch that The Library is seeking licensing in West Orange.

“However, the state of New Jersey is behind on its promise and has not begun the process of accepting applications for micro-licenses,” he and Penn stated in a news release.

If The Library eventually earns one of the state’s coveted licenses, the company will be a good neighbor to the township, according to Dishmen, who says it will operate on four principles: “community, education, equality and equity.”

Dishmen, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University in sociology and a master’s degree in education, is a social equity applicant for a cannabis license.

Penn also has roots in Essex County. The former county resident has an associate's degree in audio engineering and is completing his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Rutgers University.

While they wait to see if they can score a license, the pair are trying to connect with the local community by hosting an “expungement clinic” that will help people with prior cannabis-related charges to start the process of clearing their records. It will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 23 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Cambria Hotel on 12 Rooney Circle in West Orange.

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