TRENTON â When the man who literally has âweedâ in his name got approval for a license to sell legal weed, he didnât know what to do with it.
NJWeedman.com â the longtime marijuana legalization advocate formerly known as Ed Forchion, the proud owner of a new legal name â has spent the last three years publicly selling marijuana in New Jerseyâs capitol city, across the street from city hall.
So when the opportunity to apply for a license to sell cannabis came up, he took it. But when he got word last week that heâd actually been awarded one, he had a realization: Selling marijuana â what New Jersey refers to the drug sold illegally and unlicensed â is a lot different than selling cannabis.
âI have an infrastructure Iâve been tapping into for years. That market exists,â NJWeedman.com said. âBut what am I supposed to do? Stop and wait for this new industry? Theyâre so far behind. The state system is not ready for what Iâm doing.â
He’ll figure the details out later: A few hours after an interview with the Asbury Park Press, NJWeedman.com sent an email to the CRC’s licensing department.
The subject line was two words: “I accept.”
âI live every day with the threat over my head that the State Police can show up,â he said. âWhat if a Republican gets in office, what if they say âwhat are we going to do about this âWeedmanâ guy?
âI would love to be legal.â
To date, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has issued nearly 1,700 conditional cannabis licenses, including more than 900 to potential retailers, those who would sell legal weed at dispensaries. Conditional licenses are awarded to applicants who have 120 days to find a location and receive municipal approval, before converting to a standard, annual license.
Only 10 conditional license holders have applied for conversion, and only eight separate, annual licenses have been issued.
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But none of those businesses are actually open: As of last week, the only dispensaries or grow facilities in operation were operated by existing medical marijuana companies.
Itâs a supply and demand issue that was long feared: The average price of an ounce of legal, adult-use cannabis in New Jersey is $453, CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said at the commissionâs Oct. 27 last week. In Massachusetts, the average price was $205, as of Oct. 16.
NJWeedman.com estimated that heâd have to close for two years before the state-sanctioned cannabis industry had matured enough for prices to come down to his level. Heâs got about 20 people who work directly for NJ Weedmanâs Joint, his restaurant and unlicensed dispensary in Trenton, and relationships with suppliers to think about.
“I don’t think there’s a conspiracy to keep guys like me out. But they want it regulated, so there have to be giant growhouses in place. And the distributors and all those guys have to get their system up and running, and then the wholesalers, and then finally it trickles down to guys like me.”
Guys like NJWeedman.com have become somewhat of a focal point for the CRC in recent months. The New Jersey legal weed laws always gave those with previous marijuana convictions front-of-the-line privileges when it came to getting their license applications reviewed and approved.
Now, the CRC is funneling cannabis tax revenue to the New Jersey Business Action Center, which created a Cannabis Training Academy for entrepreneurs looking to break into the cannabis industry, including a specific business development course for those looking to go from “legacy to legal.”
âHaving this program designed specifically for cannabis business owners is going to be major for a lot of entrepreneurs who have the heart and the commitment for the industry but could use some help with the technical training,” said Josh Belle, an advocate for “legacy cannabis entrepreneurs,” in a press release.
But that doesn’t mean that public officials are throwing their support behind black market pot dealers. On Wednesday, the U.S. Cannabis Council â trade group made up of numerous multi-state cannabis operators, including dispensaries operating in New Jersey â announced a national “Buy Legal” campaign, encouraging customers to eschew the black market for legalized dispensaries.
“Cannabis is not immune to the persistent illegal market, which poses a serious risk to consumers,” said Gov. Phil Murphy, the only elected official named in a press release announcing the campaign.
That rhetoric isn’t unfamiliar to NJWeedman.com. He has long argued that cannabis laws are too favorable to corporate, multi-state businesses, and less friendly to pot dealers.
“The black market is thriving, and the state wants us to ask permission to get into their business,” he said.
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That’s why he first applied to change his name to NJWeedman.com in 2002. It didn’t work: A prosecutor objected, arguing that it was a cheap stunt to help grow his illegal marijuana business, and a judge agreed. (He was right, NJWeedman.com says now). A judge in California also denied a petition while NJWeedman.com lived there in the early 2010s.
When he applied again earlier this year, he expected another objection and denial. They never came.
Instead, Judge William Anklowitz signed off on the petition in late October. Next up are visits to the Social Security Administration, Motor Vehicle Commission and Bureau of Vital Statistics to get his identifying documents changed, NJWeedman.com said.
When asked how he should be quoted in this story, he requested the Asbury Park Press use his new, legal name.
âYouâre going to write this story, and theyâre going to see a page that hasnât been updated in a year,â NJWeedman.com said. âIt was so unexpected that I havenât even updated the website.â
Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and a little bit of everything else. He’s won a couple of awards that make his parents very proud. Contact him at mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.
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