The Apothecarium Dispensary at 1865 Springfield Avenue had its ribbon cutting on Friday morning. The new medical cannabis dispensary serves as Maplewood’s first and only. The facility offers its own brand of cannabis products (grown at its Boonton, NJ farm) called KindTree along with other brands. Features like a “Bud Bar,” where patients can smell the different types of cannabis flower, and the “Express Pick Up” area, make The Apothecarium a unique dispensary experience for New Jersey.
“We are proud to collaborate with TerrAscend [The Apothecarium’s parent company] and their organization, it’s been a long time coming,” said Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee at the ribbon cutting ceremony. TerrAscend came to Maplewood in 2020 with this idea and the township had been waiting for an opportunity to work with a company that could make an idea like this possible.
Former mayor and current Committee Member of the Maplewood Township Committee, Victor De Luca, was excited to celebrate the ribbon cutting. “They’ve given us a first-rate, upscale facility and that’s what we were looking for.” De Luca added that there is a, “community benefits agreement that we worked out with them that includes making an annual contribution to our Municipal Alliance, which is the alcohol and drug prevention program that works with young people. They also have to make contributions to the Partnership, our arts and culture scene, Seth Boyden, and the food bank.” The Apothecarium also agreed to hire local people to staff their 6,500 square foot facility.