John Sinha is a leading underground legacy cannabis market Godfather and advocate who is celebrating the 9th anniversary of his NJ Smokers Club brand soon.
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It’s at the Lobby in Elizabeth on Saturday, July 12th, at the Lobby in Elizabeth from 2 to 8 pm.
They have pioneered weed markets across Jersey over the years.
“Without us, there would be no medical patients getting helped,” John declared.
NJ Smokers Club Events
Most NJ Smokers Club events are large weed markets like a flea market or community bake sale with more security. Many entrepreneurs sell a great range of weed products like flower from jars, gummies, edibles, drinks, etc.
There are a lot of products for reasonable prices.
Often his events include skits and live performances, entertainment like bands, dancers, and performers.
Sinha often livens it up by using a smoking Cloud Cannon to blast out a cloud of weed into people’s faces and get everyone high.
Many of his events have included celebrities like Joseph Sikora, who played Tommy Egan on the show Power, DJ Drusky from Hot 97, and others.
Sometimes they even give out free joints.
Cannabis Party Promoter
Smokers Club has held markets and parties around North and Central Jersey, usually. Some of the SC events have been very lovely hotels.*
Notably, Sinha worked with Leaf Haus dispensary in Somerset in Franklin Township in Central Jersey, along with Royal M in Plainfield, which Heady NJ confirmed closed unfortunately.
They threw an International Women’s Day 2024 Party last year in New Brunswick that featured a Broccoli. It was sponsored by women-owned dispensaries that also included Voltaire dispensary of Mount Holly.
Along with his own events, NJ Smokers Club has held a range of parties.
They haven’t all been easy to hold. Finding a pro-cannabis venue in Jersey to smoke weed and blaze can be hard.
“We’ve had plenty of run-ins with the cops,” Sinha noted.
He said he also spearheaded a homeless clothing drive and a Christmas toy drive as well.
Politics and Weed
Sinha is a longtime legalization advocate who has organized protests at the State House in favor of home grow legalization. He is passionate about the cause.
Sinha didn’t like the re-criminalization bill proposed by NJ Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22-Union) that would go after underground legacy cannabis consumers along with businesses.
“If we don’t shop at the dispo we get locked up by the po po,” he said.
“A lot of us came out of the closet already. A lot of us came out of the shadows,” Sinha noted.
Legacy Wholesaler/Dispensary License Proposed
He was very critical of the legal NJ cannabis licensing process.
“I built a market for 9 years,” Sinha said. “All the politicians had to do was tap into that market.”
“Believing in a politician is like believing a stripper loves you,” he joked.
“It is Jersey. It is pay to play,” Sinha argued. “We need some legacy guys on the CRC (Cannabis Regulatory Commission).”
He proposed himself and NJ Weedman Ed Forchion as Commissioners.
He is passionate in his belief that those from the underground legacy market should benefit the most from cannabis legalization.
Sinha acknowledged efforts by the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) to try to prioritize certain license classes and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) to give out money. However, it has all fallen short of his ideal.
He isn’t the only one.
Sinha proposed a high fee for a dispensary and wholesale legacy license to get legacy cannabis tested and into other dispensaries. JS said it could be like the Social Equity license. He wanted those who had been moving substantial pounds of weed on a regular basis to benefit the most. Sinha noted it made sense to exclude those who had been busted for a lot of harder drugs like heroin and cocaine, along with mere weed.
“We should get the pass,” he said. “We paid our dues.”
He noted the medical marijuana program started with illegal seeds and plants known as genetics, since none were grown legally at first.
“There’s no way to ever stop cannabis coming into New Jersey,” Sinha said.
He argued that dealing with an underground market thriving as a result of the natural demand of the people in the area.
“It’s obviously coming in by the plane load,” Sinha noted.
Legacy Versus Convenience Store Opportunists
He liked the idea of fining gas stations and convenience stores for unregulated intoxicating hemp sales to discourage them. He does not believe them to be “true legacy” operators.
“Everyone and their cousin cannot come running saying ‘I’m legacy,” Sinha declared. “They’re culture vultures.”
He is not the only underground legacy operator to say this. Those with criminal records often have the hardest time trying to open a legitimate business. Those who, unfortunately, got caught often have the hardest trouble just finding a job.
Legacy businesses often operate at a smaller scale than many storefront businesses.
Loving Weed
“I smoked my first joint at 12 years and it was love at first sight,” Sinha explained.
It was like the movie Half Baked, he joked.
“I love the taste. I love everything else,” he added. “One drink gets me fucked up and sick.”
