The choppy road to launching adult-use cannabis sales in Montclair, N.J., finally smoothed out for Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) on Aug. 19.

The New York-based multistate, vertically integrated operator announced that its existing medical dispensary at 395 Bloomfield Ave. officially began commercial sales for adults 21 and older, becoming the 18th retail facility in the state to do so.

While Ascend’s Montclair store is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, it has specific medical-only hours reserved for patients—as mandated by state regulators—and adult-use customers will require an appointment to visit during the initial launch.

The company’s announcement comes nearly four months after Ascend launched adult-use sales at its Rochelle Park, N.J., location on April 21, when it was among six other companies to get the nod from the state’s Cannabis Regulator Commission (CRC) to expand operations.

“After an incredible adult-use launch in Rochelle Park, the Ascend New Jersey team is thrilled to bring that same energy and enthusiasm to Montclair,” AWH President and co-founder Frank Perullo said in an Aug. 19 press release.

“New Jersey is already showing signs of a booming adult-use market, and Ascend has proactively scaled our operations and staffing to serve our customers’ specific needs in the state,” he said. “We are grateful for the support of the Montclair community and cannot wait to share the Ascend experience with the people of Montclair and the surrounding towns.”

While Aug. 19 marks Ascend’s official launch of adult sales at its Montclair location, that launch comes more than two months after a premature launch that was halted by a local zoning ordinance.

On June 7, Ascend’s retail staff began serving adult-use patrons inside its Montclair dispensary from roughly 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., believing it had the green light to do so. But township officials informed the company’s workers that they were in violation of an ordinance for the new clientele base.

It took until July 25 for the Montclair Township Planning Board to memorialize its approval of a conditional use permit from an application Ascend had submitted June 6. But township officials still didn’t provide final approval of Ascend’s adult-use license at the time and the company’s general counsel, Douglas Fischer, warned the township it would take legal action if the license was delayed any further.

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“If Ascend’s license is not issued despite its satisfaction of all conditions precedent, Ascend will have no choice but to pursue all available options, including but not limited to public engagement and legal action,” Fischer wrote in a July 26 letter to the township’s acting attorney.

Now that its Montclair location is squared away, Ascend officials are focused on launching adult-use sales in Fort Lee, N.J., this fall.

With the state’s full legalization of cannabis, Ascend added 4,000 square feet of canopy in New Jersey for a total of 20,000 square feet of canopy in the state and 217,000 square feet overall, according to its second quarter financial results.

To accommodate heightened customer demand, Ascend offers medical patients a medical-only express lane, direct access to the front entrance, private consultation rooms and designated parking spots. Walk-in medical patients requiring time-sensitive services may also shop without an appointment.

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