HRC May Newsletter

Hoboken is one step closer to opening its first cannabis dispensary.  The City Council approved Terrapin located at 86 River Street.  Terrapin has already received approval to operate a medical cannabis dispensary.  Terrapin owners have built out a state-of-the-art facility which is steps away from the PATH station, and they are now looking to add an adult-use license to the operation.  The State still needs to issue an adult-use license, which has been historically easier for dispensaries that already have a medicinal license.  In the meantime, the business will open for medicinal sales and test the operational sales process. HRC recently spoke to one of the Terrapin owners who is excited that the process is moving forward.  We will be keeping an eye out on the State CRC agenda to see when Terrapin’s license will be discussed and possibly approved.

Hoboken for Responsible Cannabis is a nonprofit that endorses the responsible implementation of cannabis dispensaries into the Hoboken community that abide by the city’s local ordinances.  Our organization uses community donations for litigation, communication and education efforts.  Please consider making a contribution and follow the donate button below to get to the HRC donation page.

May Highlights

A “win is a win”...finally some good news on the Story front.

• The members of the Condo Association have WON their motion to dismiss the lawsuit that Fulop/Nussbaum filed against them in March.  On May 22nd, both sides argued their cases in front of a judge and the judge ruled in favor of the Condo Association members to dismiss the case on all three counts with prejudice.  It is still unclear where this goes from here and if Fulop/Nussbaum LLC will be required to pay the legal expenses of the unit members at 51-53 14th Street incurred for this case.  If you want to learn more, refer to docket HUD-L-000769-23 on njcourt.gov.

• Councilwoman Fisher has been subpoenaed in the Chancery case by Story Dispensary.  Councilwoman Fisher disclosed to her constituents in a newsletter last week that she has been subpoenaed to provide all communication and a deposition in the Story vs Condo Association case.  Fisher has been a vocal advocate for the Condo Association and represents the 2nd Ward where the proposed dispensary is located.  

• The Condo Association vs Fulop/Nussbaum Chancery docket has been quiet for the month of May.  Recently, the judge overseeing this case granted a protective order which allows the parties involved the ability to flag specifically defined confidential information collected during the discovery process. The depositions were scheduled to be completed by the end of May with the trial date set for August 28th.  

Village Dispensary received final approval by the Planning Board on May 2nd and the City Council needs to approve before receiving full municipal endorsement.   It seems that the Village application process has slowed down.  It was initially approved by the Planning Board on March 7, 2023.  Given the speed with which the City has approved the other dispensaries after getting the Planning Board approval, this one is being slowed down for reasons that are unknown, but might have to do with the window of time this dispensary can be challenged in the courts.

The case of Village Dispensary is almost identical to Blue Violets which is currently being litigated by HRC with a July 18th court date. Therefore the outcome of Blue Violets would apply to Village.  In fairness to the dispensaries and the schools, waiting for the Blue Violets decision to be rendered would be in the best interest of all parties, but that might not happen given the timing of the approval process and the small window to challenge the Planning Board decision.  

The Blue Violets litigation started with members of the school and neighborhood community opposed to the dispensary across the street from the schools.  To date, there hasn’t been any public opposition to the Village Dispensary by the Hoboken Middle School community, and it is unclear if they are even aware of it.  On March 15, 2023, 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 are monitoring the situation.

The Jersey Joint, Inc. (1427 Grand Street) is on the June 1st CRC agenda and being considered for an annual license. Currently, Jersey Joint is building out its facility and isn’t expected to open until later this year.

Blue Violets and Hoboken Planning Board submitted their pretrial briefs to the court.  HRC’s attorney will be submitting a response by June 5th and the court date is scheduled for July 18th.

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 is posted here: https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/about/meetings/