Curaleaf, the leading grower and seller of cannabis in New Jersey, announced Monday that it is laying off 49 employees at its Winslow production facility, saying the slower-than-expected rollout of the sector has impacted the amount of product that can be sold, despite a strong market for it.
Curaleaf CEO Matt Darin said the company still believes in the cannabis market in the state — and that this job action has nothing to do with a dispute with the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission earlier this spring.
The decision was simply about supply and demand, Darin told ROI-NJ. With so few dispensaries (there are just 35), there is only a limited need for product, he said.
“This is basically scaling back production because we have ample supply to meet the current needs,” Darin said. “We’ve been in communication with the union and regulators and have been really transparent throughout the process.”
The layoffs are the second for the company in the state this year. In March, Curaleaf announced it was closing its Bellmawr production facility for the same reason given today: not enough need. The company laid off 40 employees in that move.
Despite this, Darin said Curaleaf still has more than 150 employees at the Winslow site and approximately 400 in the state — many of whom work at the company’s three retail sites in Edgewater Park, Bordentown and Bellmawr.