To start, you may want to eliminate outdoor cultivation as municipalities routinely shun this option because of odor and security concerns. While the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the government agency the oversees all things cannabis in the state, has said it supports outdoor cultivation, not a single outdoor facility has opened since the market opened in 2022.
Veda Farms in Blairstown will buck this trend and open soon. It was awarded a license to grow up to 3.4 acres of cannabis on its 254-acre farm in northern New Jersey.
One year into the legal cannabis industry, there are still no outdoor cannabis farms in New Jersey. In an industry where barriers to entry are already notoriously high, Choubey said there are few people willing to spend the time and money to try to get permission to cultivate outdoors, despite its sustainability and benefits to the environment.
“We’re the only ones — because it’s so hard,” Choubey said.
Grasshopper Farms NJ, LLC has the next 180 days to convince the Township Committee to change its designation from conditional redeveloper to redeveloper of a proposed indoor cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility at a farm on South Cologne Avenue.
The five-member Township Committee voted unanimously during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday to approve a resolution that appointed Grasshopper Farms NJ, LLC as a conditional redeveloper and authorized the execution of a memorandum of understanding.
Officials are dismissing the possibility of allowing outdoor marijuana farms in the township, but people interested in the business still have hope about the viability of the project.
The Township Council recently issued a resolution denying Grasshopper Farms NJ a letter of support needed to secure full licensing from state marijuana regulators.
Grasshopper Farms had been planning to operate a facility for outdoor marijuana cultivation, an idea that has polarized residents.