MONTCLAIR, NJ — The state’s first medical marijuana dispensary may be moving out of Montclair.
Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc. plans to relocate its retail dispensary from 395 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair to 325 Route 15 North in Wharton. The company told the Wharton mayor and council that it wants to leave Montclair because the legal cannabis market in the area is “oversaturated,” NJBIZ reported (read the full article here).
Ascend took over operations at 395 Bloomfield Avenue when it purchased the business in 2020. Formerly known as the Greenleaf Compassion Center, it was the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in New Jersey.
Ascend got the greenlight to sell recreational cannabis to adults at its Montclair dispensary last year. It also operates two other dispensaries in New Jersey, located in Rochelle Park and Fort Lee.
Last year, a group of 22 employees who work at the Montclair facility formed a union and ratified their first work agreement. The bargaining unit – which consists of customer service representatives known as budtenders – marks the first time that employees of Ascend were protected by a union contract.