HALEDON — The news this week that a cannabis dispensary is months away from opening on Belmont Avenue drew a mixed bag of sentiment on social media, from cheers of delight to accusations of sin.
“THIS IS WRONG! It is EVIL!” one man said in a Facebook thread, having clearly made up his mind. “It will only contribute to the further degeneration of the rule of law and spiral society downward.”
His reaction and hundreds of other opinions have been posted to community pages on the social media platform since Thursday morning when NorthJersey.com published a story about Molly Ann Farms. The dispensary was awarded a license to sell marijuana products at the current location of DeLuccia-Lozito Funeral Home.
Owners of the dispensary are under contract to buy the 1.1-acre site, near the corner of Henry Street, and the longtime mortuary business is relocating to Main Street in Lincoln Park, where its owner, Joseph Lozito, has a second funeral home.
Gabriella Wilday, a co-founder of Molly Ann Farms, remained positive on Friday, saying she and her partners were “thrilled to see so much support” from citizens, elected officials and first responders.
“Legalization brings regulations, which are in place to keep people safe,” she said. “By bringing in jobs and significant tax revenue, and by being a conscientious and kind neighbor, I’m confident that we’ll earn even more trust from the community.”
Wilday, of Ridgewood, owns the dispensary with her brother, Gian Lombardi, and her father, George Lombardi.
Many people are excited to welcome Molly Ann Farms to the borough’s downtown.
“This is dope!” wrote Joel Rivera, a proponent of legal marijuana. “I’m literally tired of having to go all the way to Paterson.”
The neighboring city is home to the only cannabis retailer in Passaic County. RISE opened on Third Avenue on April 21 of last year — the first day that adult-use sales were allowed in New Jersey.
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There are nine cannabis retailers operating 22 locations throughout the state.
On Wednesday, when Molly Ann Farms was awarded its license, the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved an additional 21 licenses, not including conditional licenses, bringing the total to 72.
Even those with seemingly no connection to the cannabis industry are looking forward to capitalizing on it.
Yolanda LaRosa, who owns LaNeve’s Banquets across the street from the funeral home, joked in a Facebook post that she will put in a drive-thru lane for snacks only, suggesting how customers of the dispensary may leave there with the munchies. That elicited a response from someone else, who wrote how people would have a hankering for Girl Scout cookies.
Some took poetic freedom to rename the dispensary. One woman punned that “Reapers Reefer” would be a perfect homage to the decades-old funeral home.
The police department, however, offered a more sobering take.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday evening, Chief Angelo Daniele, Capt. George Guzmán and Mayor Michael Johnson said Molly Ann Farms and any future cannabis retailer in the borough will adhere to strict security rules. The “highest degree of professional standards” is in place, they said, to monitor such businesses.
The dispensary will not only “fuel the economy,” Johnson said, but it will also “prioritize public health” by providing a legal alternative to a dangerous underground market for drug sales.
The officers said cannabis consumption on the grounds of the dispensary will be prohibited.
“Our residents should not be alarmed,” they said in the statement. “The Haledon Police Department will continue making public safety a top priority.”
H/T: www.northjersey.com
