Cannabis businesses across Hudson County inch closer to opening
When it comes to cannabis business activity in Hudson County, the action isn’t limited to Secaucus, Jersey City and Hoboken.
Municipalities such as North Bergen, West New York and Harrison are upping their legal weed game, ranging from dispensaries to other related facilities.
In North Bergen, the township could have multiple types of cannabis businesses, ranging from dispensaries to cultivation and manufacturing facilities.
There are two recreational dispensaries, the maximum allowed in the township, slated for potential opening, Green House Apothecary on River Road near the Hudson River waterfront, and the Daily Muse on Tonnelle Avenue near 69th Street.
Pharoah Lozano, the CEO of Green House and a local real estate agent, said he’s hoping to begin sales this summer, with the dispensary to be located on the first floor of a newly constructed eight-story building.
“I’ve had a general interest in the industry,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to be first to marketplace, and those are always good opportunities, if you can get in early.”
Lozano noted that the dispensary would have a positive impact on the township, such as bringing in tax revenue, hiring local workers and awarding scholarships to local students
“We’re going to be about health and wellness, education, and I think that the country is going on that same path,” he said. “We’re starting to realize that it’s not just the devil’s drug that people think it is. It’s going to be something that’s really going to be able to help a lot of people.”
Other potential establishments for cannabis include Happy Hour Extracts, a manufacturing facility at the same location as Daily Muse, and CYOUR NJ, a cultivation facility near the New Jersey Turnpike.
Over in West New York, Nile of NJ has a state license to sell cannabis on Bergenline Avenue in the town’s cannabis zone (Bergenline Avenue between 49th and 54th streets), and would be the lone recreational dispensary in the town, since only one is permitted. An opening date could not be determined.
And in Harrison, two recreational dispensaries, Cookies Harrison and Green Origin Solutions, are looking to sell at a residential complex just off Route 280.
So far, Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus is the only location in Hudson County that sells recreational cannabis. Jersey City and Hoboken, while having numerous applicants at various stages of the approval process, do not have any stores open.
Weehawken, Union City and Guttenberg have banned recreational sales from taking place within their boundaries. In Bayonne, where cannabis regulations were amended to confine businesses to the east side of Route 440, it appears that no businesses have applied.
All potential businesses will need approval by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
