In the center of New Brunswick is Jester’s Joint, a dispensary that blends right into the Rutgers University community and offers students 21 and older legitimate options for legal adult-use cannabis.
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When you walk in, you immediately notice the calm, clean atmosphere. Colorful displays are around. Plus, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The dispensary blends perfectly with the stores and homes on Easton Avenue. It has quickly become a mainstay for Rutgers students.
“Jester’s is a very clean, accessible environment, and they are very helpful in trying to cater to people’s specific needs,” said Vie Alvarez, a local student at Rutgers.
He explained that students in a college town will get their hands on cannabis one way or another. So, it’s amazing Jester’s Joint offers such a quality alternative.
Jester’s Joint was founded by Nico Escondito who has traveled the world contributing to cannabis education and research. He studied plant science and did cannabis research at Rutgers to breed for specific ailments. Nico also wrote for and ran the High Times magazine and the Cannabis Cup. He also established the Cannabis Genetics Institute in Holland to preserve cannabis genetics. Nico has also cultivated legal cannabis farms.
What is the Impact of a Dispensary in a College Town?
“… It’s an excellent alternative to the other vices. I think anybody would agree that smoking weed is better than drinking, certainly better than hard drugs. I think it’s absolutely better than pharmaceuticals.”
“But I will say…the kids that come here are smart kids. They do use it responsibly. We have not had any incidents. We have not had any complaints.”
“Pesticides, insecticides, mold issues, not good, harmful. We test for that. We test for all that stuff. The lab testing makes their lives safer.” “People say it makes you lazy. I mean, you can sit down and get hooked binge-watching anything.” “You take too much…you’re not gonna die plain and simple” (unlike alcohol). There’s just not a lot of bad about it, to be honest.”
How Did you Win the Right to Open this Dispensary?
“I worked with so many people here (at Rutgers). Years ago, we were trying to develop a (school) curriculum for cannabis. That’s when they thought it was gonna go federally legal. So, they were preparing to offer coursework here.”
“The town called the university and said we want to put a store up there, and the university said no.
“The township said this is a courtesy call. You are going to let the store be up there. But is there anybody that you would feel comfortable with?” And so my name came up.”
How Does Jester’sJoint Set Prices?
“What I tell them (the producers) is, if you give me a better price, I’m going to pass it on to the customer, and I do.” “You can still get a joint for $10. We do 2 for 60 for the one gram vapes, which that’s a huge hit. If you’re a joint guy, there’ll be a pack of two and a half-gram joint for $22. If you’re a gummy guy, you’ll get a pack of gummies for $14. These are good prices for New Jersey right now.”
“We spend an inordinate amount of time curating our menu…. We have three primary objectives. The first is value. These kids are smart, so you need quality. That’s second. The third is variety. I want to make sure that when we create the menu, we have something for everybody.”
“We have the best selection of hash in the state. Three full grams, mix and match any one. 100 bucks.” “No one comes close to that.” “We sell about 56 grams a day.”
“We made a starter dab rig. You got a little mini rig, you got a torch, you got a dabber, you got a mat, you got a grandma oil.”
What is the Importance of Cannabis Visibility?
“There’s medical uses which I think are absolutely necessary and beneficial.” “There is something behind this compound, and we are only starting to scratch the surface of it. I know from what I’ve seen and from my 20 years in this industry that so much more is going to come from it.”
Jester’s Joint isn’t the only dispensary in New Brunswick. Earth and Ivy and Puffin are on the other side of the Rutgers University campus on George Street.
