Wanda James looked at the 300-plus attendees of the inaugural NJ Cannabis Summit and asked a simple question.
“How many of you consume cannabis?”
For James, the CEO of Simply Pure and an applicant for one of six Alternative Treatment Centers in New Jersey, openly talking about cannabis isn’t just a lifestyle issue – it’s vital to growing a successful industry.
A Brick Township company that is seeking permission from state and local authorities to open a medical marijuana dispensary will be waiting a bit longer for some answers.
Jersey Shore Therapeutic Health Care filed one of the 146 applications that the state Department of Health received for the six new licenses being made available for alternative treatment centers. The state, when it accepted applications in August, had said it expected to notify applicants by Nov. 1 whether they would receive a license.
During this past summer, New Jersey decided to double the number of medical cannabis licenses from six to 12. Existing license holders were not eligible to apply for new licenses in this round. New applicants had essentially six weeks to compile a licensure application, file the required licensure fee and paperwork, and submit their no-more-than-300-page application.
Despite the potential “demand” for an ATC locally, there was an outcry from a majority of the residents at the meeting against the idea.
The crowd got rowdy, clapping for those at the microphone who shared their similar mindset and shouting at those others who did not. Zoning Board Chairman Harvey Langer consistently interrupted public comment and testimony, demanding respect for fellow residents and the applicants.
Jordan Lams, founder and CEO of the medicinal marijuana producer, told Cheddar as he awaited news on whether his company had been awarded one of the licenses that Moxie has a fully built-out, 16-acre farm and greenhouse operation at the ready ー which would help New Jersey get its operations up to scale quickly.
"The state can count on us to do what we say we will," he said.
Lams praised Gov. Murphy for "taking ownership" of medical marijuana policy after it had languished under previous administrations.
A medical marijuana dispensary proposed for a former bank property on Adamston Road was not approved by the township’s Board of Adjustment Wednesday night. With testimony and what is expected to be significant public comment ahead, a more than three hour-long board meeting was adjourned until Nov. 19.
The Department of Health had notified applicants that it expected to announce the successful applicants on Nov. 1, but additional time is needed to complete a full review of these applications. Each of the reviewers must read more than 40,000 pages of material (each application averages 300 pages). The reviewers are working as quickly as possible, and the Department will announce the successful applicants as soon as the review is complete,” the department wrote in a release.
“Do you want to be known as a former NBA player who’s now in the cannabis business or a cannabis business leader who used to be an NBA player?”
Al Harrington didn’t hesitate before answering.
“A cannabis business leader who used to be in the NBA,” responded the Elizabeth native, former first round NBA draft pick and 16-year veteran who is now a marijuana entrepreneur with his sights set on a homecoming.
In order to apply as an ATC, the applicant must have submitted various documentation and criteria to the DOH before the deadline. This included the ATC’s proposed legal name and address of the facility, the applicant’s legal status, the Certificate and Articles of Incorporation, any and all By-Laws for the corporation, any and all organizing documents for the association, and a certificate of good standing issued by the New Jersey Secretary of State.
It should come as no surprise, but more than a third of the 146 applicants for the six alternative treatment centers made sure they had a Jersey connection front and center.
With the New Jersey Department of Health awarding 50 of the 1,000 points available on the scored part of the application to “evidence of the ATC Entity’s support for or ties to communities in New Jersey,” 56 of the applicants made sure they had some Jersey reference in their name.