Former NFL lineman Leonard Marshall talked about opening a medical marijuana dispensary inside a former Concentra Medical Center. The 5,000-square foot building is in Paterson’s rundown Second Ward. Marshall’s a spokesperson for Hillview Med, one of 50 applicants for a dispensary license in North Jersey.
“We’ll create some economic change here in Paterson. And I think that, if you take a look around at the landscape of things here, it could use kind of an uplift,” he said.
“This particular spot was actually a perfect spot for us,” said Hillview Med CEO Ken Vande Vrede. “It’s two blocks away from St. Joe’s.”
The location is also 1,000-feet from a drug free school zone, says Vande Vrede. Regulations are strict. The state prefers applicants with strong corporate commitment to the local community.