Tucked in a small commercial mall in an industrial area of Secaucus, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, sits Harmony Dispensary. Behind its unassuming storefront, Harmony prides itself as having an especially high standard among the Garden State’s medical marijuana cannabis outlets. While dispensary customers don’t get to see it, all of the cannabis for sale at Harmony is grown on the premises, in a unique and state-of-the-art hydroponic operation.
Leslie Hoffman, Harmony’s communications director, says Harmony’s “biosecure facility” is setting a new standard for cannabis cultivation in New Jersey.
“We have the highest biosecure level in the state,” Hoffman said. “There is no mandatory state regulation on this. As far as I know, we’re the only ones taking it to this level.”
Here’s how the system works: Anyone who enters the grow area has to first “gown up” in a jumpsuit and go through an “air-shower” that removes any possible traces of mold, mildew, mites or other contaminants. All air in the grow facility runs through charcoal and HEPA filtration (short for high-efficiency particulate air), as well as a brine solution.