Harmony Foundation has become the first New Jersey-based, nonprofit medical dispensary to enter the state’s adult-use cannabis market.
On Dec. 2, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), the five-member state board that regulates the industry and oversees licensing, signed off on Harmony’s application to expand operations under its vertically integrated medicinal permits to include recreational sales.
As part of the approval, Harmony received a Class 1 Cultivation license for its facilities at 600 Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus and 144 Route 94 in Lafayette, as well as a Class 2 Manufacturing license at the Lafayette site and a Class 5 Retailer license at the Secaucus location.
According to Harmony’s chief executive officer and president Shaya Brodchandel, the foundation expects to begin selling recreational cannabis at its dispensary in Secaucus “in the coming weeks.”
“We have been preparing for this for a long time,” Brodchandel said. “We are ready to begin welcoming a new population of clients, while simultaneously giving our long-time patients the same great service they deserve and have become accustomed to.”
On Dec. 2, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission signed off on Harmony’s application to expand operations under its vertically integrated medicinal permits to include recreational sales.
One of the recipients of the original six alternative treatment center (ATC) permits granted by the New Jersey Department of Health, Harmony began operating in June 2018 under the Medicinal Cannabis Program and has had its permit renewed annually by the state since.
Headquartered in Secaucus, Harmony’s cultivation and dispensary facility serves about 6,200 medicinal patients. Harmony’s second location in Lafayette, which received operational approval in May, enabled the foundation to expand its product variety through onsite cultivation, manufacturing and extraction.
Following the expansion into adult-use sales, Harmony said it will continue to grant priority to medical patients and their registered caregivers by offering exclusive hours, designated service areas, discount eligibility, delivery services and curbside pickup.
“We have a proven track record of serving the medical cannabis community for many years, and we will not turn our back on those that use our products for health purposes,” Brodchandel added, noting that his organization’s medicinal cannabis prices are continuously noted by regulators as being the lowest in the state.
The pivot
As part of its plan to enter the dual market, Harmony is expected to open satellite dispensaries in Hoboken and Jersey City, which, Brodchandel said, will be additional local job creators. The move also broadens the opportunity to expand on delivering social equity to the communities Harmony serves, he said.
“Harmony has a commitment to the state and people of New Jersey,” Brodchandel added, noting that Harmony has regularly participated in job fairs and supported expungement clinics, reentry support and mentorship opportunities.
“As Harmony continues to grow, and achieve even greater business success, our core mission will match the intentions of Gov. [Phil] Murphy for the industry and be a force for lifting up others that have previously not been afforded opportunities for entrepreneurial success,” he went on.
Following the launch of New Jersey’s recreational cannabis marketplace in April, eight out-of-state entities have dominated the industry, opening and operating all 21 dispensaries currently licensed to sell.
Harmony believes its expansion will be a great example for New Jersey-based entrepreneurs looking to establish themselves in an emerging industry that is expected to be worth more than $2 billion a year by 2026.
“This is a historic day for Harmony, and, we believe, for the growing cannabis industry in New Jersey,” Brodchandel said. “As the first New Jersey based ATC to expand into the adult-use market we are going to show that cannabis businesses born in this state have the ability to join those multistate operators and thrive, reinvesting our successes into our local communities.”
