There are many 420 events year-round for consumers and industry professionals by legal and underground legacy operators in the New Jersey cannabis community.
One of the great powers of the cannabis plant is its ability to bring people together.
However, New Jersey laws make it difficult to hold a cannabis consumer-focused event. The States sided with anti-marijuana residents concerned with law and order. So, New Jersey residents are not supposed to smoke in public.
To make it even more difficult, the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) has yet to allow legal cannabis consumption lounges.
So, private event venues must be used for now. However, cannabis event venues can be difficult to find for an event. But a few places have become regular spots for cannabis events.
The UFCW Local 360 labor union hall in South Jersey for example, has featured several parties in their large space.
A few places have emerged as regular 4/20 event venues, like Hub 13 in Trenton, which is one of the more prominent ones. They host a range of consumer and industry 420 events. Some of them have weed for sale.
A similar place is the Takeoff Lounge in Newark, where Heady NJ is throwing an Underground Legacy to Legal Forum on January 11, 2025! Get tickets now!
Cannabis Holiday Parties
Holidays are a great reason for a 420 event. Several dispensaries and event promoters have held special 4/20 events for the traditional community holiday. For example, Haytham Elgawly of the upcoming Xena dispensary in Jersey City threw a fun 4/20 holiday party event in a unique space.
7/10 Oil Day is another cannabis-themed holiday. The Sativa Cross activist group has promoted Oil Day as a day to highlight the needs of medical marijuana patients.
Other parties are held throughout the year on other holidays. For example, the Hispanic veteran-owned Got Your Six Dispensary on the Princeton South Brunswick border in Central Jersey held a Halloween and a Veteran’s Day event.
Underground Legacy 420 Events
Underground legacy sesh markets remain popular in Jersey despite some crackdowns. Some have more entertainment than others. Most have a bunch of tables with jars and a DJ playing music.
NJ Weedman’s Joint in Trenton has had many events in their backyard lounge area that feature music.
The underground legacy operator Smokers Club NJ also has had events mainly in Central Jersey. They regularly throw sesh markets where cannabis sold in jars can be bought for very reasonable prices. The sesh underground markets have the air of a lively rummage sale or flea market often.
Sesh markets have occurred both in the more rural parts of South Jersey and North Jersey cities like Paterson.
A few have had entertainment like comedians, for example, like NJ Green Scene. Other operators have held similar events.
Legal Consumer-Focused 420 Events
Many sorts of events in New Jersey are geared toward cannabis consumers.
The event promotion company NJ Garden State of Mind throws chill events like Paint and Puffs (like Paint and Sip parties) regularly throughout the State.
The Library, which wants to open a dispensary, has also thrown a few pop-up events for consumers.
The Cannabis Culture Film Festival recently held in Camden was a unique sort of 4/20 event since they showed several movies related to weed.
Cannabis Award Competitions
Many of the large-scale events in the New Jersey cannabis community consumers might like are also competitions.
Cannademix went from throwing very academic and industry-focused events to larger, more festive events. Their Budtender Ball last year was reported sold out. A second one is being planned for late December.
Some are very large, like September’s 420 Expo which is a legit cannabis convention. They threw the first legal Cannabis Cup in Jersey at their 3rd annual convention this year. It came complete with a party of people smoking outside, music, food trucks, and a range of vendors and fun stuff along with a band playing and some contests.
The more recent Tri-State Cultivators Harvest Cup judged a range of homegrown, legacy, and legally grown cannabis flower while growers and strain names remained anonymous. It featured many free samples in a festive setting.
The Dispensary Guy threw an awards ceremony one based on online voting versus judging of kits. Their ceremony was more intimate and perhaps more industry-focused.
Dispensary Grand Opening Parties
Many Dispensary Grand Openings are festive, like the recent Hashstoria dispensary opening in Newark or the MMD Shop opening in Jersey City. They were both thrown by companies based elsewhere. So, they have the resources to create an event that generates a line.
Other locally owned companies have also thrown big opening parties. Often, politicians, influencers, and notable professionals are invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and festivity that follows. It often includes food, music, and merriment.
Dispensary Pop-Up Parties
Many of the Jersey 420 events now are legal cannabis dispensary pop-ups. They occur almost every week somewhere in Jersey at this point. Some pop up events usually come with some deals and swags. Many have more entertainment than others. A few like to bring in influencers and celebrities.
While there is a certain distance cannabis consumers must be from the actual dispensary, those with larger properties have enough space to avoid technically breaking the rules.
NJ Cannabis Industry Conventions
Cannabis industry professional and entrepreneur events are very common throughout Jersey.
This year has seen MJ Unpacked come to Atlantic City in the spring along with the annual NECANN convention in September.
Both attracted established and upcoming entrepreneurs, senior employees, and brand ambassadors.
Champs is another trade conference that occurs yearly in Atlantic City. It focuses on the national smoke shop and the intoxicating hemp industry.
The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur conference in Newark is also a regular event for many local cannabis business owners and entrepreneurs. Their most recent conference heavily featured the emerging medical psilocybin or magic mushrooms or shrooms sector.
NJ Cannabis Insider by NJ.com threw a bunch of events for years. But they have since scaled back their efforts.
Professional and Educational Events
The NJ colleges with cannabis programs also occasionally throw events. Stockton University in South Jersey, for example, periodically holds educational events open to the public.
Job fairs are another professionally minded event that colleges and organizations organize.
Raritan Valley Community College has also thrown a few job fairs spearheaded by Valley Wellness dispensary CEO Sarah Trent. In addition, the Jersey City Office of Diversity and Inclusion has also thrown several well-attended job fairs.
Expungement clinics where lawyers help people deal with complicated past marijuana-related records have also been featured at a range of Jersey 420 events over the years.
In general, cannabis industry networking events take place on a regular basis. Since they seek to operate legally, many of them feature more alcohol than cannabis consumption at bars.
That doesn’t mean people aren’t smoking weed outside on the sidewalks.
