The month of April ushered in another 4/20 which has become known as a celebration of cannabis.  This day of observance started in the early 1970s with a few high school students who used the term to refer to the time of day when they would meet up to smoke marijuana after school, 4:20 p.m.  Over time, the term 4/20 became associated with marijuana use more broadly and a symbol of resistance against anti-marijuana laws and policies.  4/20 will continue to evolve and embody the progress made as cannabis becomes legal in more states.

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April Highlights

The Story Dispensary continues through the litigation process.

• The Condo Association vs Fulop/Nussbaum trial was moved to August 28, 2023.

• The judge granted Fulop/Nussbaum’s request for a protective order.  Fulop/Nussbaum resisted court-ordered subpoenas and asked the court for a protective order which was granted. This will allow the parties involved the ability to flag specifically defined confidential information collected during the discovery process. That means the judge and attorneys involved will see all the information, and the public will see some redacted documents.  Now, with the protective order in place, the discovery process will move forward and should be completed by the end of May.  The court docket for this case gives us a glimpse into the status of the litigation.  Let’s hope that this ruling doesn’t impair our ability to track the story about Story.

• The Condo Association filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that Fulop/Nussbaum filed against them in March.  The Condo Association argues that three counts need to be dismissed with prejudice for multiple reasons.  Oral arguments regarding this motion are scheduled for May 12th.   If you want to learn more, refer to docket HUD-L-000769-23 on njcourt.gov.

Terrapin seeks Planning Board approval for adult-use cannabis after already receiving medicinal approval.  Terrapin will have its second Planning Board hearing on May 2nd at 7 p.m. on the ground floor of City Hall.  This dispensary is different from others. It has already received medicinal approval and its retail location, 86 River Street, is fully constructed.  Once Terrapin gets approval from the Planning Board, it will go to the City Council for a full municipal endorsement, then to the State for adult-use approval. 

Village Dispensary needs the Planning Board’s final resolution and City Council approval before receiving a full municipal endorsement.   The Planning Board is scheduled to vote on the resolution at the May 2nd meeting.  To date, the City Council hasn’t scheduled Village to be on the agenda.

Last month, HRC sent a letter to Hoboken’s Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, and the principal of Hoboken Middle School notifying them that Village Dispensary is within the 600-foot buffer which violates Hoboken’s cannabis ordinances.  The BOE has reached out to HRC to discuss the issue, and they are monitoring the situation.

Hoboken City Council approved a resolution that requests the State of New Jersey to officially ban Delta-8. Delta-8 is one of over 100 cannabinoids produced naturally by the cannabis plant but not in significant amounts.  As a result, the concentrated amounts of Delta-8 THC are typically manufactured and have not been approved or evaluated by the FDA for safe use in any context.  This resolution was co-sponsored by Councilman Joe Quintero and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher and unanimously approved by the City Council.

Cannabis In NJ News 

• CRC Chair, Dianna Houenou, in an interview with NJSpotlightNews David Cruz, confirms no cannabis retailers have opened across the state other than those who were already in medical use first (min. 5:40) CRC Chair Dianna Houenou on future of commission, cannabis industry in NJ | Chat Box - YouTube

• New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal considering introducing legislation to disband the CRC: Time to disband N.J. commission regulating weed? One state senator, sick of complaints, thinks so. - nj.com

CRC Upcoming Meeting – The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission will meet on June 1st at 1 p.m. to consider another group of dispensaries for state licensing.  The agenda has not been posted.  https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/about/meetings/ 

Register to speak here. The deadline to register to speak at the June 1st meeting will be Tuesday, May 30th at 5 p.m.