Priscotty cannabis delivery company Operations Manager Russell Cline is running for Glassboro Borough Council as a Republican in Gloucester County in South Jersey.
“I grew up here in Glassboro,” Cline noted.
He explained he has lived there his whole life and is raising his kids there. Cline is also active in the community.
“I want to see Rowan (University) slow down a little bit. The expansion is amazing,” he said. “They need to work on the infrastructure.”
Cline argued that “they don’t have a set plan. They just keep building,”
“I think they need to slow down on the taxes,” he argued. “They’re making more money but not passing it on to the residents.”
Pro-Cannabis Republican Candidate
“I love the plant,” Cline declared.
He noted he was charged with possession as a minor with a quarter lb. of weed. Cline said it makes him a social equity cannabis license applicant.
“It would always come up in job interviews,” Cline explained. “I would always say I was a young, dumb kid.”
He added they hosted an expungement clinic for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) at the barbershop he co-owns with his wife last year.
Cline said he got into cannabis in 2016 after being a consumer for much longer. He wanted to open a dispensary in town. But Cline did not win a license. There are two dispensaries open in town now. So, he doesn’t think well of them after they beat him, despite his being born, raised, and living there.
“It’s all bull****,” Cline declared.
“Hopefully, I will be opening in an adjacent town,” he added.
Cline said if elected, he would like Glassboro to add a license to allow a micro-dispensary. He acknowledged that, should he win and the law passes, the new license should not go to him.
Cline explained that many are still against cannabis in town.
“You got a liquor on every corner. It’s not the big bad boogeyman,” he argued.
Cline noted the great stigma around marijuana despite the best efforts of himself and like-minded people.
“As soon as you pull out a joint, it’s the end of the world,” he said about some unfortunate reactions.
“I think we should have homegrow. One hundred percent,” Cline replied when asked about the controversial issue.
Cannabis Industry Experience for Elected Office
Cline called Priscotty a tech and delivery company servicing 9 dispensaries in New Jersey and some in New York.
He manages their infrastructure and compliance operations across New Jersey.
“Working in operations teaches you the importance of accountability, collaboration, and efficiency,” Cline said. “Those same values are what I want to bring to the people of Glassboro.”
A press release said he is “bringing his business acumen and problem-solving mindset to public service.”
“Russ has been instrumental in building the operational backbone of Priscotty,” Priscotty CEO Scott Prisco said. “Seeing him step up to serve his hometown shows exactly the kind of leadership culture we’re proud to cultivate.”
Prisco operates the company from Upstate New York.
Priscotty has been aggressive in the independent cannabis delivery company space. They made a deal with Blue Violets in Hoboken for e-bike cannabis delivery in April.
Cline noted he has also done some consulting for other NJ cannabis license applicants as well.
The Election and Weed
His wife, Kristen Dutch Cline, has been running for Council as a Republican for some time. Danielle Mazza-DiVenti was running with her but dropped out due to medical issues and was replaced by Cline.
Cline noted he is endorsing the ticket, which includes former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli for Governor. Ciattarelli called marijuana a “gateway drug” and proposed launching a referendum to re-ban cannabis in 2021. He also voted against allowing medical marijuana for veterans treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 2016.
He insisted Ciattarelli is not anti-cannabis.
Glassboro is a smaller college town and home of Rowan University. It used to be the site of great glass-making factories. According to Wikipedia, Glassboro has a population of about 23,000.
The incumbent Democratic Councilmembers got more votes in the June primary, according to NJ.com. According to a local blog, Republicans had not run candidates for council in a while before last year.
There’s also a school district referendum on the ballot.
The legislative election for the 3rd district, where Glassboro is located, is competitive. It is the district Steve Sweeney represented while former NJ Senate President.
Political and Professional Pot Heads Running for Office
It’s significant for the NJ cannabis community that cannabis advocates and entrepreneurs are getting involved in local government and bridging the gap between politicians and the public will and the industry.
Sativa Cross activist Chris Almada is also running in Dover for City Council in the November election after winning the June primary as a Democrat.
The first cannabis activist in New Jersey elected to public office was NORML NJ cannabis activist Michael Chazukow. He was elected as Councilman in West Milford in Passaic County in North Jersey as a libertarian Republican in 2020.
There are several dispensaries now in West Milford.
