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The basics:

• Ice-T co-owned dispensary The Medicine Woman shuts down in Jersey City
• Store opened in April 2025
• Business focused on NJ cannabis brands, local partnerships
• Closure comes as competition intensifies in the state’s cannabis market

A cannabis dispensary co-owned by rapper and actor Ice-T has closed after less than a year in business.

The Medicine Woman held its grand opening on Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City in April 2025. The business sought to offer New Jersey-based cannabis brands, accessories and limited-edition merchandise.

The store committed to hiring locally. It also said it would work to partner with local charities and organizations, such as The Last Prisoner Project, Jersey City Mural and Arts Program, Jersey City Employment and Training Program and Hudson County Community College.

As of Jan. 7, The Medicine Woman’s website no longer features the store. The business is also marked as “permanently closed” on Google. A representative from the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former Playboy model Charis Burrett and her husband founded The Medicine Woman in 2019 as a California-based nonprofit that delivered cannabis to patients. Since then, it expanded to offer more than 100 products, debuted a private-label line and launched a storefront in Bellflower, Calif.

The flagship California store remains open, its website shows.

New Jersey native

Ahead of opening in Jersey City, Ice-T (also known as Tracy Lauren Marrow) described it as a full circle moment.

After being born in Newark, he grew up in Summit and now lives in Edgewater. Besides earning recognition as a musician, Ice-T is known as one of TV’s most famous cops, thanks to his long-running role on NBC’s “Law & Order.”

When Jersey City officials greenlit The Medicine Woman’s application in July 2022, he issued a statement. “I’ve dedicated my life and career to giving back and paving the way for minorities,” the entertainer said. “As a New Jersey native, I’m excited for the opportunity legalization offers our community, and I look forward to ushering in a new era for cannabis in the state.”

Ice-T went on to hail his longtime friend Burrett as “an authority in cannabis” who will “ensure a premium experience for our customers and community.”

“We are passionately devoted to providing access to safe, affordable and quality plant medicinal remedies,” Burrett has said. “Partnering with Ice T to bring The Medicine Woman to New Jersey is a meaningful extension of our mission.”

Crowded space

Since opening adult-use sales in April 2022, New Jersey now has more than 230 licensed dispensaries across the state.

As the market becomes increasingly crowded, many dispensaries have struggled to stay afloat. Key pressures include soaring property costs, retail competition and consumer frustration over product quality and pricing, cannabis news site Heady NJ noted.

Celebrity-backed dispensaries are also feeling the pinch. Compared with smaller, locally owned operators, ventures owned by stars face higher overhead and investor expectations, Heady NJ pointed out.

A dispensary in Newark co-owned by Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon the Chef and media personality Charlamagne Tha God also went dark just a few months after it opened.