Montclair will temporarily become a weed wasteland as Ascend prepares to close its doors.
Ascend, which operates three cannabis dispensaries in New Jersey, will be shuttering its location in the township on June 16, the company announced in an email to customers.
The Montclair dispensary will be moving to Wharton in Morris County. However, an opening date has yet to be announced. Ascend also has locations in Fort Lee and Rochelle Park.
The departure of the first recreational dispensary in Montclair, which opened in August 2022, will leave a void in the township until new dispensaries open.
Montclair granted two retail cannabis licenses in May 2023, but neither location appears close to opening.
One dispensary called Night Owl and owned by Montclair entrepreneurs George Marable and Eric Payne would be located on the site of the former DLV Lounge on Bloomfield Avenue, which closed in December 2022. The second dispensary Kush Connections would be located on Valley Road, across from Tierney’s Tavern.
A New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission spokesperson said on Friday, “No permits to open have been issued to either of those two businesses.” However, Montclair Councilor David Cummings said that two cannabis businesses recently appeared before the council in hopes of opening in the township.
Nearby Bloomfield has three cannabis retailers. There is Rise dispensary on Bloomfield Avenue, near the Newark border, Nightjar also on Bloomfield Avenue, in the township’s downtown, and Blue Oak Dispensary on Broad Street, near Watchung Avenue.
Note: Story was updated to reflect that there are three dispensaries in Bloomfield.
