Jersey Meds in Pennington is the 100th New Jersey adult-use cannabis dispensary Heady NJ has reported open.
“We now have more than 100 adult-use cannabis businesses operational. Setting up this new industry… is a process. One that shouldn’t be rushed,” NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) Chair Dianna Houenou recently noted.
New Jersey’s Independent Cannabis Dispensaries
There definitely has been progress that can be celebrated.
Among the new independent dispensaries, there have been many owned by local women, Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, and underground legacy to legal operators. Those who have crossed the finish line are successful serial entrepreneurs with at least one profitable business open.
A lack of $1 million, town political connections, and affordable real estate have served as massive barriers to entry for hundreds of companies.
In addition, some are majority locally owned that have a former corporate Multi-State Operators (MSO) executive working for it in some capacity. A few are indeed smaller MSOs compared to the large MSOs hated by many longtime consumers and underground legacy operators. They more often minority, women and underground legacy to legal owned.
Due to the influence of former Governor Chris Christie (R), the New Jersey medical cannabis market has been dominated
