Highland Park OKs these five legal weed stores to operate in town

HIGHLAND PARK – Five retail cannabis businesses have been granted authorization to operate in the borough once they receive state approval.

Borough Council members approved resolutions Feb. 21 supporting the local businesses. The five businesses will now have to apply and secure licenses from New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission before they can begin operating in Highland Park.

The businesses authorized to operate in Highland Park are BLKBRN, LLC, 176 Woodbridge Ave.; Anja Life, LLC, 225 Woodbridge Ave.; Herbalicity, LLC, 246 Raritan Ave.; Floro Highland Park, LLC, 85 Raritan Ave.; and Main Street Dispensary, LLC, 311 Raritan Ave., borough officials said.

The designation of five retail cannabis businesses in town caps a years-long process of consideration of cannabis sales by the borough.

The process included numerous opportunities for public input, an ordinance passed by the Borough Council in August 2021 that allows cannabis businesses to operate in certain zones in town and defines the process for local approval, a March 2022 ordinance passed by the Borough Council that refined the process and criteria for the selection of specific businesses, the receipt and review of 10 applications by the borough administrator, and the determination that five applications were complete and responsive to local criteria.

"The residents of Highland Park were huge supporters of the state’s referendum to legalize cannabis, in November 2020," Councilman Matt Hale, who oversees Highland Park's economic development, said in a statement. "The borough took this very seriously and set out to find the best operators for Highland Park. It was a long process but we’re excited to now welcome these new businesses to our town.”

Mayor Elsie Foster said the borough is pleased to welcome the five cannabis providers.

"We wish them much success in gaining NJ State Cannabis Regulatory Commission licenses, opening their new stores in Highland Park, and attracting a customer base in our area," Foster said in a statement. "We are delighted to see them become part of our business community."

Link to Original My Central NJ Source: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2023/03/02/nj-legal-weed-highland-park-dispensary/69955485007/