Retail licenses coming up – nj.com

Hello, everyone!

This week we have some interesting stories.

Our theme focuses on the up and coming factors that can define the market for the foreseeable future in the wake of retail licenses being opened up on a wider basis.

Big and small, all interconnected into one ecosystem, all of the cannabis licenses in New Jersey will serve as part of a greater whole.

Suzette Parmley has a story on how the cannabis industry was oddly missing from Gov. Murphy’s budget address.

Reporting from Sue Livio follows up on her coverage of the goings ons at Harmony and its legal troubles.

Resident weed professor (I never get tired of typing that) Rob Mejia comes through with a column on how the adult-use market can make up for previous market deficiencies — and how the medical dispensaries are preparing to serve the general consumer.

We have a preview to one of our CannaTalks next week with CPA Todd Polyniak talking about the primary pressure points startups have, and how to survive them.

Speaking of our conference, we’re less than a week away. We list all our panels and speakers in this edition. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

We know this is coming out late (and we hope you saw our earlier email), but if you’re reading this tonight you have until midnight to vote and nominate your selections for our gala awards.

Lastly, our siblings at Syracuse.com took our playbook and launched NY Cannabis Insider. Brad Racino, its publisher and editor checks in from the Empire State with how you can learn more. And we also soft launch a new jobs listing site ahead of our career fair in April. We’re going to offer deep discounts to subscribers when we roll it out. Scroll down for the details

Until next time…

— Jelani Gibson

Gov. Murphy quiet on cannabis in budget speech on eve of market opening

Gov. Phil Murphy delivered a $48.9 billion budget on Tuesday – a speech chock full of items meant to increase affordability for the middle class from education to housing to health care.

Noteworthy in the speech though, was that, unlike Murphy’s State of the State and inaugural address in January, the governor did not mention the cannabis industry by name among the “growing businesses” that will fuel New Jersey’s economy.

Why the silent treatment on the eve of the adult market’s anticipated opening?

Cannabis analysts closely following the ramp up in New Jersey and other states, say the recent delays by the state-appointed Cannabis Regulatory Commission in opening the adult recreational market may have convinced the Murphy Administration to tone it down on cannabis.

While analysts are confident the market will open soon, it will be a slow start.

“We understand the CRC, at its meeting on March 24, will give the greenlight to some of the incumbent medical licensees to begin recreational sales,” said Cantor Fitzgerald cannabis analyst Pablo Zuanic in an interview with NJ Cannabis Insider on Wednesday. “If so, taking into account processing, they should be able to begin recreational sales a month later, in late April or early May.”

Added Zuanic in a follow up email on Thursday: “We’re not sure why Gov. Murphy did not mention the subject of cannabis in his Budget Address, but we have written the state could be generating a total recreational/medical sales of $1.7 Billion by 2023 (that would still mean less than half the per capita consumption of Colorado.)”

Zuanic said the $1.7 billion figure was based on 23 alternative treatment centers expanding to sell to the adult recreational market as well as medical patients.

“It can mean a couple things that are not mutually exclusive,” said a former top legislative aide focused on the cannabis space of Murphy leaving out cannabis in his budget address. The aide asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the award licensing process by the CRC.

“The administration is underselling the revenue expectations wildly to overperform next year. Or two, the administration knows how bad things are going and is really trying to downplay expectations,” said the same aide.

Looking at the fiscal year budgets of the last two years, the Murphy team revised its Fiscal Year 2022 Adult-Use Cannabis Revenue projection from $0 to $4 million.

In other words, the CRC is going to green light the industry sometime soon.

For fiscal year 2023, Murphy spokesman Michael Zhadanovsky said the administration is expecting $19 million after the 6.0 percent sales tax is applied to total adult cannabis sales.

“$19 million is the expected revenue from recreational sales for the general fund, not the total amount of expected revenue,” Zhadanovsky said in an email to NJ Advance Media after Murphy’s budget address. “Significantly more funding will be dedicated for CRC operations and impact zone investments.”

Asked if the $19 million figure was adjusted downward due to the slower than expected opening of cannabis sales, Zhadanovsky said “no.”

“This is revenue the State will start realizing in July (which is the beginning of the next fiscal year),” Zhadanovsky said.

Legalizing recreational weed for adults age 21 and over was the centerpiece of Murphy’s first run for governor in 2017. Murphy said it was a way to right wrongs from the past, particularly making Black and brown communities whole who were ravaged by the failed war on drugs.

The CRC missed a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 22 to open the market to recreational cannabis sales. The panel said it is still reviewing license applications.

February 22 was the one-year anniversary of Murphy’s signing of the law that legalized adult recreational weed for adults 21 and over.

When pressed about the missed Feb. 22 deadline, Murphy said last month that he would rather get the industry opened right with the promised social justice component than getting it wrong.

Just two weeks ago, Murphy said during his radio show that he expected “movement within weeks” on opening the cannabis market.

But the Cannabis Regulatory Commission is insistent it hasn’t set a concrete date.

At the panel’s Feb. 24 hearing, CRC executive director Jeff Brown said the 90-day review of most of the dozen alternative treatment centers hoping to expand to the adult recreational market concludes March 15.

Brown said he expected to have an update on these applications at the commission’s next hearing on March 24, but stopped short of saying how soon sales could start after that, contradicting Murphy’s “within weeks” comment.

Commission spokeswoman Toni-Anne Blake emailed on Tuesday that the panel has set no date as to when the cannabis market will open.

“Executive Director Brown did not make any statement about ATCs and the March agenda. At no point did Director Brown or any CRC official state that any ATCs will be approved for recreational sales by March 24,” Blake’s email to NJ Advance Media said.

“The CRC remains committed to following the law and ensuring New Jersey’s market opens expediently and that patient access is protected in the process,” said Blake.

Many following the process on behalf of clients say the slower than expected opening might have to do with workload – that the CRC is simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applications and is grossly under-staffed.

One Central Jersey resident, Raymond Mercer, commented during Wednesday’s regional hearing that maybe some of the cannabis revenue should fund expanding the CRC’s staff during Wednesday’s regional hearing on Zoom.

The hearing was the second of three scheduled this month for the three regions of the state in order for the CRC to hear from New Jerseyans on how to best use cannabis revenue for social justice programs that is a huge component of the new law.

“For the most part, I think hiring some more people for the CRC (would help),” Mercer said in his three-minutes allotted during the public input portion. “I’m sure you guys are backed up.

“You mentioned that there are hundreds of conditional (license) applicants. 45 pages each and if there’s are 1,000 applicants after the upcoming March 15 deadline, that’s 45,000 pages – that’s a lot of people who need to read those pages,” Mercer continued. “So maybe some of that money goes to expanding the CRC, as much as people want the money to go somewhere else. … I think helping the CRC help itself would help everyone.”

Coincidentally, on March 4, the CRC posted a new job opening: Supervisor of Investigations to be a part of the CRC’s Compliance and Licensing Unit.

The agency is now taking applications until March 21 for the position that pays from $ 78,283.00 to $111,555.82, depending on one’s experience.

“The State of New Jersey, Cannabis Regulatory Commission, is seeking individuals to manage staff within its licensing and compliance units and all activities involved in the acceptance, processing, review, and subsequent evaluation of applications for licenses impacting CRC programs and services” reads the job posting.

“The successful candidate will supervise the investigation of licensing applications and compliance with regulatory requirements. This includes highly sensitive and specialized complex cases as it pertains to compliance and the licensing process by conducting audits and reviewing documents and submitted information for fraud, negligence, incompetency, misrepresentation, misconduct and other issues that do not conform to CRC regulations, statutes, and approved standard operating procedures,” the posting cites.

“The Supervisor of Investigations will also be responsible for supervising the review and analysis of information contained in records and documents maintained by individuals, businesses, financial, or government agencies to determine departure from acceptable practices.”

The CRC began vetting expansion applications from the alternative treatment centers nearly three months ago.

— Suzette Parmley | NJ.com

As market prepares to open, Harmony entangled in legal battle

A state Superior Court Judge next week will consider whether a consultant should oversee daily operations at Harmony Foundation, a medical marijuana operation in Secaucus that its investors say has been mismanaged into insolvency.

As we reported in NJ.com Monday, Secaucus Investors LLC claims Harmony has allowed taxes and other bills to go unpaid, has hired family and friends for unnecessary work and defied arbitration and judicial rulings that ordered they cede control to and share all financial records with Secaucus Investors.

The plaintiffs filed a motion on Feb. 28 seeking an emergency hearing before Judge Edward A. Jerejian seeks to remove Board President Shaya Brodchandel and board member Yehuda Meer and approve David Knowlton as “custodian.”

You may recall Knowlton was board president of Compassionate Care Foundation, the medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor before Acreage Holdings bought the operation in 2019 and renamed it The Botanist.

Jerejian is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the case Friday, March 18.

Through their attorneys, Brodchandel and Meer deny the central claim — that Harmony has accumulated $30 million in debt. They also argue that Jerejian has already taken steps to oversee Harmony’s interests by naming a retired judge to serve as a special fiscal agent.

Brodchandel, president of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, and Meer also appealed an arbitrator’s decision in October, upheld by Jerejian, that awarded Secaucus Investors control over 55% of the company.

They want time for their appeal to be heard before any further legal action, and accused Secaucus Investors of doing an end run around due process.

But even after the judge renders a decision on the request for a custodian, Harmony must demonstrate its financial stability and integrity before the Cannabis Regulatory Commission approves the application to convert Harmony Foundation, a nonprofit, to Harmony Holdings, a for-profit. Then and only then can it start selling recreational weed.

It’s not an overstatement to say a civil war has erupted inside Harmony, just as New Jersey is poised to launch the adult-use cannabis market led by medicinal marijuana operators. There isn’t enough space to enumerate the grievances on both sides.

The legal fireworks, while intriguing, are a mere distraction to what is happening in New Jersey. The CRC begins accepting applications for weed retailers Tuesday. All eyes are on the CRC meeting agenda for March 24, when the industry hopes the commission will be ready to approve some recreational weed businesses.

Ed Deveaux, president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, said compared to what’s going on, Harmony’s woes are “parochial.”

“What would ordinarily be a blip on the radar” in another industry, like pharmaceuticals or energy is like “air raid sirens” blaring because it’s cannabis,” DeVeaux said. “I attribute it to the newness of the industry.”

Isn’t it a bad thing if one of the handful of medical marijuana operators has trouble getting out of the gate as the adult use market begins?

“The industry will move on with or without Harmony,” DeVeaux said.

— Susan K. Livio | NJ.com

Surviving the startup phase

By Todd Polyniak, a partner at Sax LLP, has more than 30 years of in-depth auditing and accounting experience. He leads Sax’s Cannabis, Transaction Advisory and Not-for-Profit Practices. He’ll deliver a CannaTalk at the NJ Cannabis Insider Live! conference on March 16. Find him on LinkedIn.

It’s one thing to navigate through the laws and regulations involved in creating a business within the cannabis space – it’s another to successfully survive the startup phase. I will provide his guidance on surviving the first three years of business in this new and exciting market for growers, extractors, distributors and retailers in the cannabis industry.

My talk will include (but certainly won’t be limited to) the following concerns that cannabis entrepreneurs will need to consider. It’s worth noting that these are very common pain points that we come across for upstart cannabis businesses:

• Most cannabis companies lack a solid finance framework to support their rapid growth — cash flow strategies become a very important part of their success and failure
• Clear, timely financials are essential for smart business decisions and readiness for strategic changes
• From cultivators to retail, all cannabis companies are navigating an uncertain and complex market, with evolving regulations and heightened competition
• Companies will miss out on opportunities if they don’t fully fund their dreams, understand their financial position and make the right moves to optimize their valuation
• In a fast-moving market, companies going it alone without strategic partners will fail
• Tax compliance is a bit of a moving target right now and these businesses will have to try and stay out ahead of the changes
• Many companies cannot find the right banking, investor, legal, technology and insurance support
• We are already seeing quite a bit of M&A activity out of West Coast cannabis businesses, and they are not always properly prepared for this process

These points and many more will be covered at the conference. We look forward to seeing everyone there. Until next time.

N.J. prepares for adult-use cannabis the smart way

By Rob Mejia, a regular contributor to NJ Cannabis Insider, is an adjunct professor at Stockton University where he teaches the cannabis courses. He is also the author of “The Essential Cannabis Book” and “The Essential Cannabis Journal.” His cannabis education company is called Our Community Harvest.

One of the main questions New Jersey cannabis regulators, operators, and enthusiasts are asking is “are we ready to transition from a medical cannabis program to a medical and adult use cannabis industry?”

This is a question that many states including Colorado, California, Michigan, and Massachusetts have all asked and the answers have varied. In some cases, there were shortages of product, medical patients were faced with longer waits and out of state consumers mobbed some markets.

There were also success stories where smart operators carved out special shopping hours for medical patients, online ordering systems were streamlined, delivery systems were implemented, and inventory was carefully monitored to provide at least some cannabis for all.

One unique challenge that New Jersey faces is that our medical cannabis market is small and underdeveloped compared to other states. This happened because former Gov. Chris Christie made sure that our medical program was slow to start, only a few vertical operators were licensed, and qualifying medical conditions were limited.

Then we had several starts and stops because of COVID and numerous court cases. With a population of 9.2 million, data says that we should easily have at least 230,000+ medical cannabis patients (2.5% of the population) yet our patient count stands at about 125,000.

This is important because it means that we don’t have as much cannabis infrastructure as other states which makes it that much more difficult to serve a market that could be 3 to 10 times as large as our existing medical market!

But our New Jersey operators have also been anticipating and carefully planning for an adult use market and have ramped up cannabis production. In fact, according to several of the big operators, they have enough products to open an adult use market now.

With careful inventory management, initial purchase limits, and extra considerations and programs for our medical patients we are nearly ready to take the plunge.

In addition to the requirement that enough cannabis be available to support a new adult use market before our market opens — there is a critical need for cannabis education. Useful cannabis education will benefit us in many ways.

First and foremost, it will promote safe, smart cannabis use. It will also help adults to understand how important it is to store their products away from children and pets. And new products will be introduced to consumers that may be better health options.

In speaking with New Jersey’s Cannabist’s officers, Volley Hayhurst, VP of Operations and Jen Dalickas, head of Retail Operations, here are some initiatives they are taking to ensure they are taking care of their new customers:

• All employees are carefully “onboarded” and welcomed to the company, they complete a “New Associates Workbook” and have access to a “Resource Guide;” this means employees become experts at interacting with customers
• Their website was designed to provide clear information about which cannabis products are available and the product’s potency and percentage of THC and CBD
• The layout of the store is open and welcoming and includes an “Education Bar;” this area has bar stools where customers can talk to knowledgeable store staff, see sample packaging, and get their questions answered
• Each customer can receive a Patient Education Packet which is chock full of helpful information such as an overview of New Jersey’s cannabis program, how to effectively visit a dispensary, how THC and CBD interact in the body, drug interactions, and the types of products that are available
• A small booklet called a Patient Journal is available for users to track their consumption which helps them become smarter consumers

As Jen Dalickas mentioned, their goal is to “take time with every single person” and to “educate their new consumers.”

Other initiatives that will help ensure that medical cannabis patients are properly cared for include separate lines for medical patients, customized menus, and careful inventory management. The Cannabist also sells product from other New Jersey verticals such as GTI, Curaleaf, and Acreage to provide a wider spectrum of products beyond their own brands.

Other states that have transitioned from a medical cannabis market to an adult use market have faced initial challenges such as product rationing and long lines at dispensaries, but the market normalizes quickly. As organizations such as the Cannabist educate and care for their new adult users, our market has an opportunity to be smart, compliant, and a source of healing.

Prof. Mejia’s Weed Corner is a regular column for NJ Cannabis Insider, focusing on news, trends and innovation in the local cannabis market. Reach out to him at Robert.Mejia@stockton.edu

Justice Dept. keeps moratorium on medical cannabis enforcement, doesn’t extend it to recreational

The $1.5 trillion spending bill funding the government through Sept. 30 continues the ban on the Justice Department enforcing federal cannabis laws in states that have legalized medical cannabis.

But once again, Congress has refused to extend the prohibition to states that have legalized weed for recreational use, dashing hopes by some cannabis advocates that a Democratic-controlled Congress would be a game-changer when it came to cannabis.

“We were of the opinion that this would be a relative slam dunk for the new Congress,” veteran lobbyist Justin Strekal said.

That didn’t turn out to be the case, however. Cannabis advocates said that congressional appropriators wanted to enact a spending bill as soon as possible and decided to eschew controversial provisions to smooth passage.

Lawmakers were “doing everything they can to avoid a long dragged-out debate on this and get the budget agreement passed as quickly as possible,” said Morgan Fox, political director for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Even Rep. Earl Blumenauer, founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and author of the amendment to extend the Justice ban to recreational cannabis, said things were different.

“This process is really tortured this time,” he told NJ Cannabis Insider. “Lots of moving pieces, lots of frustration.”

In the end, supporters of legalizing cannabis were left to wait another day.

“We are deeply disappointed by Congress’ failure to act on cannabis reform in this year’s spending bill,” said Steven Hawkins, chief executive of the U.S. Cannabis Council.

“USCC strongly supports the cannabis-related provisions that were not implemented in the final omnibus bill, including protections for cannabis research and banking services. We understand the realities of the appropriations process and have confidence that Congress can still advance cannabis reform this session, including banking protections and expungement.”

– Jonathan D. Salant | NJ.com

NJCBA to host CRC officials for Friday webinar

The New Jersey CannaBusiness Association is hosting a virtual discussion with three members of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission on March 11 at noon as part of its Lunch & Learn series.

Guest panelists will include CRC Deputy Executive Director Kelly Anderson-Thomas, Chief of Staff Justin Rodriguez and Chief Counsel Christopher Riggs.

The special session will revolve around what applicants need to know as the state’s retail license portal is slated to open on March 15. Register here.

You have until midnight to nominate

Today, March 10, is the last day you can nominate a business or yourself in one of the categories for our 2022 NJ Cannabis Insider 2022 Business Awards Gala. Get your nominations in now! This is open to subscribers only.

On June 9, we’ll be rolling out the green carpet for the Garden State’s who’s who of cannabis, recognizing trailblazers with a formal dinner banquet, awards show and rooftop afterparty at the Carteret Performing Arts Center.

This exclusive event will be driven by NJ Cannabis Insider subscribers. So far, we’ve gotten dozens of nominations — but we’re looking for more.

You have until 11:59 p.m. to nominate individuals or companies representing the best in the business in several key categories.

We’ll announce three finalists in each category at our March 16 conference and in that week’s edition. Voting will open March 17. Subscribers can vote once a day in each category until March 31 at 11:59 p.m

Finalists and nominees will be able to memorialize their recognition in a glossy publication produced by NJ Cannabis Insider in coordination with NJ Advance Media.

• Excellence in Cannabis Law — Law firms that provide legal and policy services to every area of the cannabis industry.
• Excellence in Commercial Building Operations — Consists of the activities necessary to build, operate, maintain, and manage buildings. This includes everything from general contracting, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and energy.
• Excellence in Consultancy and Professional Services — Professional services include: accounting, staffing, security, IT, recruitment, and management industries.
• Excellence in Innovation — Innovative programs, products, or services
• Excellence in Social Equity — Companies that support social and economic equality in the cannabis community through grants, education and business development programs.
• Minority Business of the Year — A minority business is identified as being at least 51% owned by people of color.
• Woman-owned Business of the Year — A woman-owned business is a business in which at least 51% is owned by a woman.
• Excellence in Healthcare and Life Sciences — Activities ranging from patient well-being, treatment, testing, manufacturing, and research and development.

Remember, you can nominate once a day until March 10.

To find out how to get involved with ads or sponsorships, contact Heather Long or Kristen Ligas.

We’re less than a week away, and we have an incredible event lined up for you.

Earlier this week, we were happy to announce that Hance Construction has come on as our presenting sponsor (story here).

And today, we’re pleased to announce that Harvest 360 in collaboration with Grow Generation, have come onboard as our social equity partners, sponsoring 25 tickets for minority-business applying for cannabis cultivation licenses. This cohort will also get 25 annual subscriptions to NJ Cannabis Insider and will get a free one-year membership to NJ Cannabis Association. (Please email us here, if you know someone who should apply.)

The March 16 all-day event is at the Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center. Reserve tickets here. Use NJCISUB for your discount. VIP tickets are sold out.

The complete lineup of speakers and panels:

Keynote

John Harmon, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce, he also serves on multiple boards, including the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Panels

Market Update — What to Know Before N.J. Opens

• Edmund DeVeaux, president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Assn. and is a lobbyist with Burton Trent Public Affairs
• Cecilia Oyediran, an associate attorney in Foley Hoag’s national cannabis practice group
• Faye Coleman, CEO of Pure Genesis, board member of Hemp Advisory Council for the New Jersey CannaBusiness Assn.

Federal Update — A National Perspective

• Tahir Johnson, director of Social Equity and Inclusion at U.S. Cannabis Council
• Stu Zakim, president of Bridge Strategic Communications. Zakim has experience in the entertainment, media and cannabis sectors. The firm won a Clio Award for its work on The Happy Munkey’s Original Immersive Van Gogh event last year.

Municipalities – Helping Towns to Help You Get In

• Mayor Janice Kovach, Clinton Town, president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities
• Stacey Udell, partner at HBK Valuation Group and the Mid-Atlantic director of HBK’s Cannabis Solutions Group
• Mollie Hartman Lustig, an attorney, is the chair of McLaughlin and Stern’s Cannabis Practice Group

Licenses — Ins and Outs of a Successful Application

• Chris Reid, head of sales for Cova, an award-winning cannabis POS and inventory management platform
• Ellie Siegel, CEO and founder of the cannabis consulting firm Longview Strategic
• Jennifer Cabrera, counsel at multi-state cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg’s New Jersey/New York office.

Construction + Real Estate – Building right on the right property

• Karen Oleson, co-founder of Ridgewood-based Hambrecht Oleson Design Inc. The company has completed numerous cannabis dispensaries in the northeast.
• Darrin Chandler Jr., a recent license applicant, a real estate executive at RIPCO and president of Premium Genetics
• Art Hance, founder and CEO of Hance Construction

Security + Insurance — Applications to operations

• Tony Gallo, managing partner at Sapphire Risk Advisory Group, who recently was named among the nation’s 100 most influence people in cannabis by High Times.
• Nichelle Santos, founder and CEO of CannaCoverage Insurance Services.
• Jay Keith, a consultant with 5S Security, is a recently retired detective sergeant from the New Jersey state police.
• Dan Jensen, an account executive with Securitas Electronic Security Inc. specializing in cannabis facility security.

Education — Preparing the future workforce

• Jennifer Madden, assistant Dean and director of Graduate Studies at the Rohrer College of Business of Rowan University. She is a leading team member Rowan’s Cannabis Institute for Research, Policy, and Workforce Development.
• Aubrey Flanagan, manager of Professional and Corporate Development at Raritan Valley Community College’s Workforce Training Center.
• Marissa Mastroianni, an attorney at Cole Schotz PC. and the resident employment attorney in the firm’s cannabis practice group
• Rob Mejia, an adjunct professor at Stockton University where he teaches cannabis courses. An author and serial entrepreneur, his cannabis education company is called Our Community Harvest.

CannaTalks

In addition to the panel discussions, we’re hosting 30-minute “CannaTalks” on the expo floor:

• Construction: Planning from concept to grow — Art Hance, CEO of Hance Construction
• Raising capital: What startups need to know — Precious Osagie-Erese, COO of Roll Up Life, Inc., a New Jersey-based CBD delivery service company
• Legacy to legal: A pathway to inclusion — Josh Alb, founder of education company Cannademix
• Model for success: Surviving the first 3 years of business — Todd Polyniak is a partner at Sax LLP is a multi-disciplinary accounting, tax and advisory firm

Vendor & Sponsor Expo Floor

Sponsors and partners for NJ Cannabis Insider events are among the businesses shaping the industry locally and regionally.

• Hance Construction, NJ Cannabis Insider presenting sponsor, was selected to build one of the first cannabis grow facilities in New Jersey, and has since worked on other medical cannabis projects, offering consulting and site-location services
• 5S Security, NJ Cannabis Insider security guard sponsor, at 5S Security, professionals ensure rigorous ongoing training, cutting-edge protocols, and tactical expertise to ensure the highest levels of protection and professionalism in the industry. Whether your solution requires a single door guard to a facility team of 50, their teams are customized to cater to your organization’s individual needs.
• Securitas Electronic Security Inc. specializes in cannabis facility security. The nation’s leader in protective services, it offers security solutions in these areas: On-Site, Mobile and Remote Guarding; Electronic Security; Fire & Safety; and Corporate Risk Management.
• Withum, NJ Cannabis Insider’s professional profile photo station, is a forward-thinking, technology-driven advisory and accounting firm committed to helping its clients be more profitable, efficient and productive in today’s complex business environment. Withum provides industry expertise and innovative solutions to grow and expand.
• Sax LLP, NJ Cannabis Insider’s badge sponsor, with 65 years of experience advising established and emerging companies, Sax Cannabis Advisors are at the forefront of the unique and complex cannabis industry. Their audit, tax and advisory team provides superior advisory services to all segments of the market.
• Harvest 360, a NJ Cannabis Insider’s social equity partner, is a cannabis consulting company that specializes in application preparation and licensing management, working to reduce barriers of entry for communities most impacted by the War on Drugs.
• GrowGeneration, a Harvest 360 partner, is the largest hydroponics supplier in the country with 63 retail and distribution centers. It carries and sells thousands of products, such as organic nutrients
• and soils, advanced lighting technology and state of the art hydroponics equipment used by commercial and home growers.
• HBK CPA, a multidisciplinary financial services firm, offering the collective intelligence of professionals committed to delivering exceptional client service across a wide range of tax, accounting, audit, business advisory, valuation, financial planning, wealth management and support services from offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York and Florida.
• Stender is a family owned, promotional products supplier to the cannabis industry. While Stender is a new company, its parent company SHC Holdings recently celebrated its 50th year in business. Stender’s global sourcing, along with its fun and creative SWAG aims to leave an impression on anyone who receives a branded product.
• Cova builds innovative retail software solutions specifically for dispensaries. Its POS & Inventory Management platform is designed to simplify compliance, streamline complex dispensary operations, and empower dispensaries to deliver the best possible shopping experience. Based in Denver, Cova is powering more than 1,800 retail locations across North America.
• Cole Schotz, with attorneys practicing Cannabis law since 2013, the firm has been at the forefront of the New Jersey cannabis industry, guiding clients through regulatory compliance, risk management, governmental affairs and licensing in connection with cannabis related uses.
• NJ Cannabis Certified, which provides training for all entry level jobs in the cannabis industry, including dispensary training and entry level cultivation and lab technician training.
• Longview Strategic provides advisory services and industry insights to public, private and not-for-profit entities throughout the country. With years of active experience, we’ve been able to provide top quality counsel, secure hallmark resources and connections, and contribute writing services for client projects and developments.
• McLaughlin & Stern engages in sophisticated legal work with burgeoning practices in cutting edge areas of the law, such as art, media, entertainment and hospitality. The firm has a Sports Practice Group, Land and Maritime Environmental Group, and a Cannabis, Medical Marijuana and Hemp Group.
• RIPCO Real Estate was formed in 1991 to provide retailers, landlords, and developers with high-quality, customized service in Manhattan, the Outer Boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut retail real estate. It represents retailers looking for a smart location as well as property owners, managers and developers looking to attract successful retailers.
• Zoned Properties is a strategic real estate development firm whose primary mission is to provide real estate and sustainability services for clients in the regulated cannabis industry. Zoned Properties is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Forbes Real Estate Council.

NY Cannabis Insider launches, a word from its publisher

Hey, neighbors,

I hope your experience as a NJ Cannabis Insider subscriber makes you at least a little bit excited to hear that the Insider brand has expanded to New York — the first NY Cannabis Insider issue is now available.

Like NJCI, NY Cannabis Insider will provide much-needed reporting that covers the regulators, businesses and people emerging within our state’s cannabis ecosystem, and that content will be brought to life through statewide networking events and conferences that feature the best and brightest industry thought leaders (our next event is virtual and takes place on March 31 —tickets are available now. Use code 15NYCI22 for 15% off).

What excites me most about this new undertaking is the potential to partner with Enrique Lavin and the stellar staff at NJCI. We are already brainstorming ideas for content sharing, joint conferences, and how to combine resources to produce the highest-quality cannabis journalism in the region.

In that spirit, we are offering current NJCI subscribers half-off our subscription price — a $150 savings for annual subscribers. Use the coupon code “NJDEAL” at this signup page. We hope to have many of you on board.

A sneak peek at next week’s NY Cannabis Insider issue: The status of unionization efforts in the marketplace; an NYCI exclusive investigation into the state’s medical marijuana fund; what to know before starting a testing laboratory in NY; the role marijuana plays in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection; reaction to the new retail and cultivator regs approved by the Cannabis Control Board; and much more.

— Brad Racino, publisher & editor of NY Cannabis Insider

PS: I’ll be attending the NJCI conference in Carteret on Wednesday, so please say hi!

NJ Advance Media and parent company Advance Local launch cannabis jobs site

Advance Local, parent company of NJ Advance Media — the newsroom that produced NJ Cannabis Insider — had a soft launch of a new service for the cannabis business community, cannabisinsiderjobs.com. The jobs site offers talent acquisition marketing strategy and management. Among other features:

•Strategic multi-channel content marketing

•Programmatic job distribution

•Direct and programmatic targeted digital display

•Mobile location-based marketing

•Video production and promotion

•Social media management

•Newspaper and magazine advertising

•Creative services

•Market research

Look for Melissa Ambrose, NJ Advance Media’s recruitment specialist at NJ Cannabis Insider’s March 16 conference to learn about your subscriber or sponsor discount for this exciting new service. Or reach her at (732) 491-9001 or via email, mambrose@njadvancemedia.com