Egg Harbor City

While Atlantic City officials trumpet plans to become the cannabis capital of the East, a much smaller city about 16 miles west on Route 30 also has plans for the new industry.

Last week, the Egg Harbor City Land Use Board approved a site plan and variances for a 63,500-square-foot cannabis cultivation facility on a wooded lot on Moss Mill Road in the city’s industrial business park, and downtown, renovations are underway on a former bank building at 201 Philadelphia Ave. to become the county’s newest cannabis retail location.

The ones that decided to permit cannabis-related businesses, including Hamilton Township, Atlantic City, Egg Harbor City, West Cape May and Lower Township, are hearing from companies interested in setting up operations within their towns.

The state has created recreational cannabis business license categories that include cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer and deliverer.

Now that New Jersey has legalized marijuana use and possession for adults 21 years and older, South Jersey municipalities have begun adopting their own rules to address use and sale.

And while, many towns are opting to ban it, some are now opening the door to the industry based on the promise of job creation and tax benefits.

Business owners who had hoped last year to be one of the few authorized for growing, selling and delivering medicinal cannabis are biding their time as state lawmakers debate how to proceed.

“We’re still hoping to be licensed,” said Dr. Ira Trocki, chief operating officer of Relevant 1 LLC. Trocki and his business partner, Dr. Jon Regis, formed their medicinal cannabis company before the state Department of Health’s first round of open applications for new alternative therapy centers in July 2018.

South Jersey investors and companies have been working for months to secure growing and dispensing sites, partner organizations, municipal approval, financial resources and more to put forth applications that will be reviewed and scored by state officials.

Those investors include the team of Dr. Ira Trocki, owner of Egg Harbor City Boat Co. and Northfield-based plastic surgeon, and Dr. Jon Regis, CEO and president of Reliance Medical Center.