Supporters of NJ Canna Business Association (NJCBA) President and Township Green Dispensary owner Scott Rudder seek to rally support as he is very ill.
Rudder has been a long-time advocate for New Jersey’s cannabis
Industry. He has championed initiatives such as increasing patient access to
cannabis as medicine. Rudder has been particularly focused on expanding medical cannabis access for veterans and the legalization of recreational use.
As the founder of the NJCBA, he has worked tirelessly to educate communities on the economic benefits of legalization and connect individuals with opportunities in the cannabis industry.
However, Rudder recently suffered a heart attack that required open-heart surgery. It was followed by complications that led to three additional heart surgeries, treatment for a collapsed lung, and a blood clot. He has spent three weeks in intensive care during this ordeal.
Supporters hope to make a meaningful difference as Rudder focuses on
recovering and continuing his impactful work in the cannabis industry.
Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to improving the lives of
others. Now, Rudder needs support from the very community he has helped build.
So, his supporters want to drum up support for his Township Green Dispensary in Riverside in Burlington County.
In addition, they noted that above the Township Green dispensary is a great private event space for brand and product launches, meetings, and social events. People are encouraged to reach out to his cousin Dominique Rudder Giovine to request space rental at dominique.giovine@mhusa.com.
Rudder’s dispensary and the NJCBA are working with the MJUnpacked conference to host a Cannabis Cup on May 1st.
Leading NJ Cannabis Advocate
Rudder has been a key leader in the cannabis legalization movement in New Jersey for years. He has been a leader of the NJCBA since it was founded. Under his leadership, the NJCBA has been advocating for issues aligned with many local independent cannabis businesspeople and has provided some support as well.
Most of the other NJ cannabis leaders are Democrats and/or progressives. So it has always been notable that Rudder is a former Republican Assemblyman. His credentials with the Republicans helped the movement secure bipartisan support.
Despite a seemingly conservative background, he never objected to the social justice principles many progressives sought to infuse into New Jersey’s cannabis laws. Rudder has described himself as more of a libertarian to Heady NJ concerned about freedom.
He briefly took a step back from the NJCBA. But it was under his leadership that they endorsed home grow legalization last year. In addition, he led a virtual town hall on the issue with Senator Vin Gopal (D-11-Monmouth).
It was the Home Grow panel at the NECANN conference in Atlantic City last year where I moderated the panel. During the audience participation section, Rudder described how most of the large Multi-State Operators (MSOs) that have been operating in the State did little to contribute to the adult-use cannabis referendum campaign. He added that several have been against home grow for a while.
Rudder said that one-on-one meetings with legislators are the most effective way to make progress on the issue.
The NJCBA recently launched a program to help its member companies provide healthcare benefits to their employees.
