Bud Bandit has gone from underground legacy to legal THCA smoke shop. Now, they want to open an adult-use cannabis dispensary in the capital city of Trenton.
CEO Al Elk is a serial entrepreneur who has made progress going legitimate with his smoke shop chain selling THCA intoxicating hemp products.
He said their smoke shop on Hamilton Avenue is doing well.
“I’m doing it the right way,” Elk argued.
He is very happy that the intoxicating hemp sales ban was overturned in a victory for hemp companies who filed a lawsuit over the new state law. It was expected to end New Jersey’s intoxicating hemp sales for a while.
The lawsuit victory is allowing intoxicating hemp CBD stores and smoke shops to remain operating legally as long as they don’t sell intoxicating hemp products to minors.
New Jersey legislative leaders say they plan to craft more legislation. It remains upcoming.
THCA Hemp Store Smoke Shop in Trenton
“THCA is exactly like (Delta 9) THC except it’s missing its psychoactive ingredients,” Elk explained about the different cannabinoids. “It turns into THC.”
When the 2018 Farm Bill became federal law, the feds didn’t know much about the nature of marijuana or industrial hemp to outlaw cannabinoids that get you high.
He said their THCA intoxicating hemp flower and edibles are very popular.
“We’re thriving. I got in at the right time. A lot of people are struggling. We are not,” Elk declared.
“If you don’t have a good team, you’re not going to make it,” he said.
Bud Bandit has multiple locations: one on E State Street by NJ Weedman’s Joint, one on the outskirts of the city on Broad Street, and a third in South Jersey.
A fourth location will be the adult-use cannabis dispensary.
Elk said he wants to expand Bud Bandit into Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Trenton Cracks Down on Underground Legacy Store Operators
Elk said the City of Trenton did try to clamp down on underground legacy operators and targeted him among them.
“I had to go to them, show them samples. I also showed them a lab report of all the stuff to prove I’m not doing what Ed’s doing,” he explained. “Ed’s openly selling that other stuff. The majority of people are ok with what I have.”
NJWeedman’s Joint has been openly selling underground legacy weed across from Trenton City Hall since 2019.
Bud Bandit now has Certificates Of Analysis (COAs) for his products to ensure quality and details are available.
“The city has left me alone since I did that,” Elk said. “I’ve got plenty of reports. I’m federally legal.”
“They went to all the shops and gave everybody letters saying, hey, you need to stop selling illegal products and all that stuff. They came with police to all the stores. I told my guys shut down for a minute.”
Elk said he then went to City Hall and showed the City Clerk his THCA hemp documentation.
The online cannabis business news outlet Green Market Report covered the controversy and noted that the downtown Mojo Life dispensary underground legacy to legal owner John Dockery was very unhappy about the underground legacy companies with stores.
NJWeedman’s Joint and Bud Bandit smoke shop are nearby along with Moe Weed’s hemp smoke shop.
NJWeedman Fallout
He has had problems with Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion who he was formerly associated with. Elk declared that he believed what Forchion had said about him was totally false.
Forchion was unhappy he took the location near his unlicensed dispensary by Trenton City Hall, where his daughters were going to run a hookah lounge. He was later found to have physically hurt his former romantic and business partner, Debi Madaio, on video. She is opening up her legal dispensary in Somerset.
Trenton Cannabis Dispensary Approval Issues
Like many, Bud Bandit is waiting for the City of Trenton’s approval to open as a legal adult-use cannabis industry.
Elk noted Bud Bandit has NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) approval to open an adult-use cannabis dispensary. They won their conditional dispensary license needed to open this past March 2024. It still needs the city of Trenton to act to get the annual license needed to open legally.
“Trenton is a little screwed up here, unfortunately. It’s my town. I grew up here,” Elk said. “They’re shorthanded.”
In March, Trenton attorney Wesley Bridges confirmed to Heady NJ that the City Planning Director retired and had to be replaced.
The Trenton City Council has had a lot of political infighting and turnover, which has also slowed down the legal cannabis licensing process.
Overall, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora has been very pro-cannabis in general since before becoming Mayor. He championed cannabis legalization, including homegrow in the Assembly, before winning in 2018.
He has generally been lenient toward underground legacy operators, with a few exceptions.
The dispensary will be at a different location than their THCA smoke shops. Currently, it is dormant.
“It’s fully furnished. I’m just waiting on the city,” he noted.
Elk noted he owns the building.
“City of Trenton don’t know what they’re doing,” he declared.
Plan B In Other Towns
Elk said that opening a dispensary in South Jersey could work out as an alternative. For example, Easthampton Township has been friendly.
However, finding a property in the right place, known as the Green Zone, could be an issue.
He said he is eager to comply with NJCRC regulations.
Bud Bandit has been very active in the cannabis scene in New Jersey as well as Trenton. For example, they tabled at the Boardwalk Budz weed convention held in Atlantic City in 2021.
