Jersey Shore THC was not one of six dispensaries licensed by the state Department of Health on Monday. Despite Ocean County having the second-largest number of medical cannabis patients in the state, neither the proposed Brick dispensary nor any others in the Shore area were licensed. Instead, the state opted to license dispensaries in Phillipsburg, Paterson, Rahway, Ewing, Atlantic City and Vineland – nearly all of which already have a dispensary closer than Brick.
“Our area is woefully underserved,” said Anne Davis, co-owner of Jersey Shore THC. “For that reason, we will be applying next round.”
Mayor John Ducey said at a township council meeting Tuesday night that Jersey Shore THC’s application before the township’s zoning board has not been withdrawn. A date is still pending since officials need to find a large venue available on the same night when board members and the applicant’s attorney and team of professionals can be present. A hearing on the application last month was flooded by groups of neighbors in opposition to placing the dispensary in a residential zone, as well as medical cannabis advocates who said the facility would be a plus, rather than a detriment, to the adjacent neighborhood. Officials had eyed a meeting in January but it now may be pushed back another month.