Simply Pure Trenton Dispensary Celebrates Opening in Ewing

Simply Pure Trenton Dispensary of Ewing pictured with owner Tahir Johnson

Simply Pure Trenton dispensary was opened by leading black-owned social equity underground legacy to legal businessman Tahir Johnson in Ewing.

“It feels amazing to be open,” he declared. “I’ve been working so long to open a dispensary.”

“It’s a meaningful step forward as we cultivate equity in the New Jersey market and beyond,” Johnson added.

Simply Pure Trenton wants to be the Garden State’s premier Black and locally-owned adult-use cannabis dispensary,

The Unique Space of Simply Pure Dispensary

Simply Pure Dispensary has a modern, colorful atmosphere. It’s a spacious place with a large lobby. In addition, they had fun music playing over the speakers to enhance the place.

Outside a mural was being painted on the wall of noted cannabis celebrities along with Johnson and the national Simply Pure CEO Wanda James, and some of the prominent sites of Trenton.

Simply Pure Trenton Dispensary of Ewing pictured with owner Tahir Johnson mural

Inside, there were about 20 kiosks or tablets where people could place orders. Many friendly and knowledgeable budtenders staffed the place.

Notably, Simply Pure Trenton has spots for curbside pickup as well as electric vehicle charging stations.

“We’re one of the only people in the area with curbside pickup,” Johnson said.

The 6,000-square-foot dispensary features an extensive collection of high-quality products from brands.

Simply Pure Dispensary featured independent local growers like Hamilton Farms and Garden Greens, along with the underground legacy to legal California brand Elyon for sale.

Their show floor featured cannabis flower in little boxes in a large case with holes so you can see and smell a sample before buying them.

Simply Pure Trenton Dispensary of Ewing pictured with cannabis flower cases

It’s an important innovation many cannabis consumers have wanted. The quality of cannabis can be determined by its sight and smell.

Simply Pure Trenton Dispensary of Ewing pictured with cannabis flower case up close

Simply Pure Inventory Manager Cordell Irving noted it’s a common feature in California dispensaries.

“It’s very similar to gauging the quality of wine that way,” SMPTD Outreach Coordinator Jazzmin Willingham explained.

Irving explained that they want to feature quality craft cannabis in New Jersey.

“I want that here in my home state. That starts with curating inventory,” he added.

While New Jersey has only a few brands from independent cultivators, Irving was happy there are finally some in the first place.

“It’s going to take a while to curate that,” he noted.

Tahir Johnson explained Simply Pure Dispensary is happy to feature a dedicated section of the store for Black-owned brands like ButACake, Prolific Growhouse, and Mudd Brothers.

They also feature products from the local gummy and oil maker Lily Extracts and the small corporate Multi-State Operator (MSO) Fernway.

In addition, Simply Pure Dispensary has brands that could be called “super white labelers” that brought a brand, seeds, ingredients, and product formulas to large MSO deals. That’s how Cookies got products into the New Jersey market, for example.

A regular white labeler just brings a brand that is slapped on another company’s products.

They also have some large MSO products from under the Wana and Select brands.

Promoting Simply Pure Trenton

He noted that since opening, he has shifted to promoting the place.

“Everybody has to fight for market share,” he noted.

So the famous rapper Styles P is coming this Saturday.

They wanted to make him a budtender for a day, but Johnson said the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) was against it due to red tape.

Simply Pure Dispensary is also planning a motorcycle day soon, along with other interesting events.

Unfortunately, another dispensary has already opened in Trenton with another also planning to open soon in town, making the need to promote themselves more important.

Johnson is from Ewing and was an underground legacy operator there in the past.

“As someone who has endured the harsh effects of cannabis prohibition multiple times throughout my life, it brings me great joy to supply my community with accessible, legal, and high-quality products,” he explained.

So Johnson can be considered the sort of Goldilocks type of owner many have wanted to see open and support.

But without his passion, Simply Pure would not have opened. He noted some nights after long days he slept on the couch upstairs.

The NJCRC granted them their annual dispensary license needed to open in April 2023. But like many others, red tape delayed their opening.

“You jump over one hurdle; the next one is there,” Johnson said.

He has been a leading advocate for cannabis legalization in New Jersey and the United States for a while now. Johnson worked in Washington, DC to build the movement there before coming home to open a dispensary.

Social Justice Minded Dispensary in Ewing

Simply Pure said it is committed to making a meaningful impact through social equity initiatives, creating a fair, inclusive, and prosperous future for all in the cannabis industry.

Willingham said they want to hold a social Justice Sunday program with Free My Weedman and 40 Tons to try to donate a portion of sales to those charities and to encourage advocacy via a postcard writing campaign to free federal prisoners convicted of marijuana-related crimes.

In addition, they plan to have an expungement clinic where those with records of getting convicted of marijuana-related crimes can get the help of a lawyer to get their records cleaned in the wake of New Jersey cannabis legalization.

Tahir Johnson is currently the President of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), which fights for a diverse and social equity-minded cannabis industry in the state legal cannabis markets.

In addition, Simply Pure Dispensary and Johnson joined the independent dispensary owner coalition that supports legalizing home growing of cannabis, which remains a felony.

“It’s part of the culture. People should be able to grow their own weed,” he argued.

Johnson noted he also is more understanding of underground legacy operators versus others.

He also said they want to work to get people to register to vote.

Small MSO Franchise Simply Pure of Colorado

Simply Pure Dispensary was initially founded by Wanda James in Colorado. They say they are the first legal and licensed Black-owned cannabis dispensary and edible company in the United States.

So, while they are small MSO, they have always had social values as part of their core values.

Simply Pure Trenton is the company’s first dispensary in New Jersey and second nationwide. So it’s a franchise of theirs.

“Tahir is the perfect person to lead Simply Pure Trenton as we expand outside of Colorado for the first time,” James declared. “This is the beginning of our mission. We strive to partner with more social equity licensees and help those impacted by the War on Drugs redefine the US cannabis industry.”

Johnson said they are focused on the store now. But in the future, they want to get the annual cultivation license needed to legally grow cannabis as well.

Newsletter

Subscribe to The Heady Chronicle!

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!