The cannabis corporation Curaleaf, a Multi-State Operator (MSO), has yet to open its Edgewater Park location in Burlington County despite its insistence that they were ready for adult-use cannabis sales.
Cannabis advocate and businessman Patrick Duff noted that the Edgewater Park location was not open for legal cannabis sales on Friday.
“I noticed signs on the highway Curaleaf had no recreational sales,” he said. “They were all over the place. There were cops lining the highway.”
Duff noted that he had been driving on Route 130 and observed last Friday, April 22nd, that people had to show their medical cannabis cards to the police to enter.
“I guess they were having a lot of people show up,” he said.
Town Issues
“Edgewater Park has not yet opened for adult use. We are working with town officials on a few final details and expect to open as soon as possible,” Curaleaf spokesperson Stephanie Cunha said.
She did not return a request for further comment.
“They didn’t open. They are permitted to open, but when they do is entirely up to the ATC,” NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission Communications Director Toni-Anne Blake said.
A call was placed with attorney Thomas Coleman at the suggestion of an Edgewater Park official. But it was not returned.
If Edgewater Park has not passed a law or otherwise allowed Curaleaf to open for adult-use sales, this process could be ongoing to the point of being indefinite. Towns in New Jersey have a lot of power over the land within their boundaries.
Curaleaf insisted for months upon months that it was ready for adult-use cannabis sales. They crafted a libertarian argument in the mainstream corporate press.
Complicated Process Not Mastered
To open a dispensary in New Jersey involves the adept maneuvering of paid lobbyists. Few others do it on a daily basis to make a good living.
Lines have remained long since Thursday. However, there have been no further issues with New Jersey’s adult-use cannabis sales, either in supply or fights.
Many people uninformed about cannabis think it can cause the equivalent of drunken violence, which is not true.
With Curaleaf’s Edgewater Park location not operational, there are only 12 dispensaries where New Jersey adult-use cannabis can be purchased:
- Rise (owned by Green Thumb Industries, an MSO in several states) in Bloomfield.
- Rise (owned by Green Thumb Industries) in Paterson.
- Curaleaf (an MSO in several states) in Bellmawr.
- The Cannabist (owned by Columbia Care, an MSO in several states and DC) in Deptford.
- Columbia Care in Vineland.
- Zen Leaf (owned by Verano, an MSO in several states) in Lawrence Twp.
- Zen Leaf (owned by Verano) in Elizabeth.
- Ascend Wellness (an MSO in several states) in Rochelle Park.
- The Apothecarium (owned by TerrAscend, an MSO in several states) in Maplewood.
- The Apothecarium (owned by TerrAscend) in Phillipsburg.
- The Botanist (owned by Acreage Holdings, an MSO 8 in states) in Williamstown.
- The Botanist (owned by Acreage Holdings) in Egg Harbor.
(If you were suspicious about 13, this would be something to note. However, that is not a kosher belief.)
Curaleaf Edgewater Park Issues
Curaleaf complained that New Jersey was delaying adult-use sales for months and insisted they had enough supply.
It grew and packaged the medical cannabis sold by GTI Rise that had mold in it.
Governor Phil Murphy is on an international trade deal mission. He has fully backed launching a cannabis industry with more opportunities. He recently spoke at the NJ Chamber of Commerce’s conference in Atlantic City and discussed cannabis.
“It would rather it have taken the Commission longer to get the framework right. Than to have had to rush back in to fix things down the road. I want our legal adult-use cannabis industry to be a national model, and I think we’re there. Ensuring both strong economic growth and true economic equity is at the core of what it means to be the State of Opportunity,” he said.
