Woodbridge Medical Marijuana Dispensary Gets Green Light to Start Growing

The company behind the medical marijuana dispensary at the former location of 6th Avenue Electronics in Woodbridge was given the green light to begin growing.

Compassionate Care Foundation Inc. was issued a permit on Wednesday after a comprehensive review that included site inspections, background checks and review of security operations, according to Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd.

"This permit marks another meaningful step in the ongoing progress of the program by allowing a third ATC to begin growing," O'Dowd said in a statement. "It will give patients more options to choose from in terms of geographic locations and the number of available strains." 

Now that a permit has been issued, it will take approximately three to four months to cultivate and prepare the medical marijuana for distribution. The product will then be tested and the dispensary will be issued another permit to operate and dispense as an Alternative Treatment Center, according to the NJ Department of Health.

The grow rooms and areas containing the medical marijuana are secured, alarmed, locked and ready to go, according to Yale Galanter, attorney and spokesman for the Woodbridge dispensary operators.

As of now, Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair is the only operational center in New Jersey. Another Compassionate Care Foundation facility is set to open in Egg Harbor next month, while the Woodbridge location is slated for November if all permits are issued on time. 

The New Jersey medical marijuana law allows up to six dispensaries. As of Aug. 7, roughly 1,200 New Jersey patients were registered with the Medicinal Marijuana Program, according to O’Dowd.

Mayor John McCormac previously told Patch that he is welcoming to the facility to Woodbridge. It will also add around 50 jobs to the township.

“Unlike many towns, we’re welcoming them to Woodbridge." he expressed. "It's a retail use turning into another retail use."

What do you think of a medical marijuana center opening Woodbridge?