Underground Legacy to Legal Cannabis Pathways Explored at Heady NJ Forum and Celebration

Legacy to Legal forum in Newark

Heady NJ recently held its underground legacy to legal forum and celebration highlighting important issues in Newark.

Mario Ramos of I Bud You and Con Bud dispensary of the Bronx kicked off the show and introduced me as the panel moderator as Heady NJ Editor and Publisher.

“It’s a big issue here, legacy to legal. It’s one of the central issues of a market in cannabis. There’s a legal market here in Jersey. Let’s not pretend it started in 2021 (when it became legal). It’s been going on for a long time,” I explained.

I also noted a lot of people sacrificed a lot and it was a way to make money when other options failed.

“I’m going on 29 years in cannabis, since I’m 16,” Honey Grove and Honey Stash Chief Cannabis Officer Big Dave Valese explained. “I’m loving it, to actually have love back in it and community. We were missing it when just the MSOs (Multi-State Operators) were here. We’re kind of like trying to pave the way for everyone.”

He noted they won a Cannademix Budtender’s Ball award recently.

“We could all raise the standards and stop smoking mids,” Big Dave joked to laughter. “No more mids! The fire is here.”

CEO Rui Pereira explained that he launched NJ Garden State of Mind to bring people together through cannabis and art.

“I wanted to bring people together through my creativity and cannabis,” he said. “Passing a joint is like passing a smile.”

Rui noted he started humbly and pushed through when it was difficult.

Celebrating Progress

CEO Ramez “Max” Maxemous explained how he opened URB’N dispensary after they won a medical license as New Jersey PharmaCanna.

“It’s been a core mission of ours helping everyone navigate to get open. I’ve been helping as many people as I can,” he said.

One Green Leaf dispensary Customer Service Manager Sharnay Tokley explained she started her cannabis journey in her college dorm room.

“Just making sure everyone was situated with what they needed,” she added.

In 2018, she began making edibles. But Sharnay wanted to work in legal cannabis, so she went to Stockton University to learn some basics she noted. Afterward, she got a job at the Botanist dispensary as a budtender first.

“I get to see what the customers want, handle what they need,” she explained. “I’m here to make sure people do want to come to dispensaries.”

Loving the Sacred Herb

Big Dave explained his relationship to the sacred herb.

“Not only has the sacred herb healed my life, but I’ve been able to help and heal so many people through this plant, get off drugs,” he declared.

Big Dave noted the importance of fighting for home growing legalization.

We’re both on the NJ Home Grow coalition campaign committee along with many other great advocates and independent cannabis companies.

“These people that work for MSOs are spraying chemicals on shit,” Big Dave declared. “We need to change this. It really is a sacred plant. It is one of the most beautiful things in the universe. We need to honor it.”

Sharnay explained cannabis saved her life when she was coping with her mother’s passing.

“It helps me cope. It helps me live,” she added.

Big Dave noted he was almost arrested when he was pulled over as they prepare to open their second location in Metuchen.

“I’m like oh shit,” he said. “He’s like, I can’t wait till you open! I’m driving 20 minutes to get my weed right now!”

“I started right here in Newark buying Mexican brick weed when I was 16 for 500 and 600 dollars a pound,” Big Dave explained.

“When I first got a store, I wouldn’t smoke one thing on the shelf,” he admitted. “Now there’s a ton of beautiful products coming into the industry.”

Big Dave cited the growers Brighter Side Farms, Niche, Garden Greens, and EV Family Farm as good examples.

“Weed has been part of my life as long as I can remember. Did everything with it. It’s refreshing to be in the market now,” Max explained. “There’s a lot of fire now.”

“I started in a backyard. It could happen. Follow your heart. Follow your dreams,” Rui advised.

He added he recently debuted a pre-roll with the help of the grower Niche.

Sharnay noted she switched careers and went to Stockton University before getting into the legal cannabis industry.

Getting Here and Celebrating Successes

I noted many have battle scars from the journey to get to a prosperous New Jersey cannabis market from where it started.

“We only had large MSO like mids, as Dave as saying,” I explained. “Low-quality mediocre marijuana that was overpriced always.”

More independent cannabis companies have successes to celebrate now.

Rui touted his new white-label pre-rolls working with Niche as a success.

Big Dave noted they are launching a Honey Stash dispensary soon in Metuchen in Central Jersey, and then Honey Park is coming to Elmwood Park in North Jersey. They are also planning their own brand of cannabis products.

“I really hope to pave the way for other people and show them this dream can be attained,” he said to applause.

“I got friends who were locked up in high school for cannabis. Now, to be here, to celebrate. I can represent all my friends who aren’t here with us. Success is being here and being able to smoke cannabis and sell cannabis legally,” Sharnay declared.

Max said his biggest success was opening.

“Every day is a challenge but it’s fun. We love what we do. The successes are going to keep coming,” he added.

Jumping Through Hurdles

I noted it took 29 months for the 2019 NJ medical marijuana license winners like Max to know the result.

“I was obscure. Heady was like defunct then,” I said. “By the end of it in 2021, people knew who I was, and we were closer to where we could be.”

I also noted the great difficulty of launching a small business like Heady NJ.

“Most of them don’t work out, unfortunately, for one reason or another. It’s really sad sometimes … when you’re trying to make money doing the thing you love.”

Rui noted finding locations to host puff and paints was hard.

“When people see a little bit of momentum, they want to ride the coat tail. I had a lot of people all of a sudden start doing paint and puffs,” he explained. “Now I’m going to start a light and wick… candle making.”

Overcoming Dispensary Problems

“Nothing wasn’t a hurdle,” Max argued. “Trying to make it another day, all the delays.”

“If you’re not 100 percent, it’s not going to happen. You have to be 110 almost always,” he added.

“When we did open, there’s 12 medical people coming through the doors, and then we gotta stay open for 14 hours,” Big Dave said.

He was happy that patient-exclusive hours at New Jersey dispensaries were eliminated by the NJ-CRC recently since several budtenders can prioritize patients and then see other customers.

Patient-exclusive lines and registers remain.

“I still have nightmares. Hopefully, they’ll go away one day,” Big Dave said.

Sharnay said finding a focus when there were so many options can be difficult.

“Building Heady was a struggle,” I admitted. “This is one of the things I’ve done and one of the most rewarding things I’ve done as well.”

NJ Cannabis Career Advice

“We’re all two-bit hoods in the eyes of the narcs and the feds,” I noted.

So that makes issues like banks difficult even for ancillary businesses working with licensed dispensaries.

“My advice going legacy to legal is come and talk to people like us who have gone through this really hard process. Even when you think you’re there, you’re not,” Big Dave said.

“Surround yourself with good people. If you feel someone is not a good person, get them out of your circle,” he added.

“Never sign anything!” Max exclaimed to laughter. “Make sure your lawyer looks at it.”

“There’s a lot of people who will take it all from you,” he added.

“Just do it. Meet people. Don’t be scared,” Sharnay advised.

Fun Celebration

Besides the panel, Heady NJ hosted a fun party where everyone enjoyed themselves in a space where consumption was allowed, and Dirty Dank provided free dabs to many partygoers.

Our tablers Chef Manja la Ganja, OGeez! gummies maker, Budzooka dispensary of Elizabeth, Legacy to Lifted dispensary of Jersey City, and Magic Garden Botanicals/Ejay kept the vibe going. The crowd made it a great time for all, which you can see if you click below.

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