One year after legal cannabis dispensaries opened their doors in Hopewell Valley, local leaders say the impact has been overwhelmingly positive—at least for municipal budgets and adult consumers. But the rise of regulated cannabis has also brought new challenges to schools, where educators are battling underage access and shifting public attitudes toward marijuana.
at the Hopewell Township dispensary. At the two dispensaries in the Hopewell Valley there are many products available. Photos by Chris Lott
“The combination of the legalization of recreational cannabis and the ease of accessibility via the online market has increased our youth’s access to cannabis products,” explained Hopewell Valley Central High School Principal Patricia Riley, who noted that most violations of the district’s substance policy are first-time offenses, with very few repeats.
Local municipal leaders said both dispensaries–Jersey Meds in Pennington and Pure Blossom in Hopewell Township–have been good partners, and legal weed has brought very few problems.
“It’s been really seamless,” reflected Pennington Borough Mayor James Davy. “There’s been no big issues or controversies with it. We’ve had no issues dealing with the state, and we’ve had only positive relations with the dispensary.”
“From our perspective in Hopewell Township, [cannabis legalization] has been pretty successful,” agreed Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning.
In 2020, more than two thirds of voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing adult recreational use of cannabis in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy signed three bills into law in February of 2021, making New Jersey the 14th state in the nation to legalize recreational cannabis. New Jersey previously okayed cannabis for medical use in 2010.
Legalization set off a flurry of local activity, as prospective business owners appeared before officials seeking a small number of available licenses to operate. Read MercerMe’s prior articles about cannabis’ arrival in Hopewell Valley.
Pure Blossom opened near the Pennington Circle in late 2023 after securing one of Hopewell Township’s two retail licenses. Just down Route 31, Jersey Meds claimed Pennington Borough’s sole license and launched in spring 2024.
According to officials at both open retail shops, business has been brisk.
Good Neighbors, Good Business: Local Cannabis Dispensaries Earn Warm Reception
At Jersey Meds in Pennington Borough and Pure Blossom in Hopewell Township, reception has been positive and adult customers are supporting these new businesses. Both are micro-enterprises, employing a staff of 10.
At Pure Blossom, a bright shop situated just off the Pennington Circle, sales have been steady according to Chief Operating Officer Jordan Bruseloff.
“Reception at the store has been nothing short of wonderful and we’re honored to be supported by Hopewell Township the way that we are,” she said. “Our goal at Pure Blossom is to provide an experience rooted in comfortability, intention, and education, while fighting to destigmatize cannabis–and we occasionally see that stigma peak out. It has been a process, but it is something we are incredibly passionate about.”
Pure Blossom partners with local non-cannabis vendors, promoting the efforts of farmers, artists, restaurants, and wellness businesses in its events and promotional materials, Bruseloff said.
“We want to highlight those near and dear to us in Hopewell Valley and Mercer County to hopefully drive more people to the town we all know and love,” she said. “On the cannabis-centric end, we’ve been honored to become a go-to shop for the people of Hopewell Valley.”
Mayor Peters-Manning praised Pure Blossom’s business model and collaborative spirit.
“Pure Blossom have been good corporate citizens, and good neighbors,” Peters-Manning said. “I believe that they are following all the rules, and I have had no complaints from the Chief of Police about their business. They’re always very easy to work with.”
Just up Route 31 at the family-owned, wildly colorful store in Pennington Borough, Jersey Meds Vice President of Operations Karan Lalchandani said, “business has been fantastic.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support from both our local community and customers from across the region,” he added. “We truly wouldn’t be where we are today without the people of Pennington, Hopewell, and the surrounding areas.”
Lalchandani noted that legalization has allowed adults to access cannabis products in a regulated marketplace.
“That’s a huge step forward for consumer safety and education,” he said. “From a business perspective, we’re proud to have created local jobs for people who are passionate about cannabis education and customer care. Our team helps guide customers on their personal cannabis journey in a responsible, informed way.”
Like Pure Blossom, Jersey Meds works to collaborate with other local businesses for cross-promotions, discounts, and giveaways.
“It’s been exciting to see how cannabis can fit into the broader small business community here in Pennington – we love being able to help promote and support other local entrepreneurs,” Lalchandani said.
Mayor Davy praised Jersey Meds as “a good addition to our business community” and a benefit for Pennington residents.
“They seem to be a very responsible enterprise,” he said. “They’re benefiting our local economy, and they are maintaining community standards that we’ve all come to expect in Pennington.”
Budding Income: Municipal Budgets Benefit from Cannabis
The better local cannabis shops do, the more revenue comes in for local municipalities.
When New Jersey regulators set up the state’s cannabis marketplace, they included tax and fee structures to benefit local communities and accomplish social equity goals. On top of a 6.625% standard tax rate, cannabis retailers pay 1-2% in local taxes and annually adjustable social equity excise fees to offset the impacts of cannabis prohibition on communities disproportionately affected.
In 2023, total statewide taxes and excise fees collected from cannabis retailers in New Jersey topped $45 million.
Locally, 2% cannabis tax revenues become part of each municipality’s general fund, reducing the tax burden for residents. In 2024 Hopewell Township received $52,825 in tax revenue and Pennington Borough saw $71,227 added to its coffers.
Both mayors said that based upon first quarter proceeds, municipal cannabis tax revenue is expected to increase in 2025. The Township projects upwards of $75,000, and Pennington revenue is expected to top $85,000.
“Those funds are used to control the tax rate our residents pay,” Davy said. “I like that as a business their growth is tied to municipal revenue. They’ve had a significant increase in revenue over the last 13 months as evidenced by the amount of money we’ve been receiving.”
Up In Smoke: Public Health and Safety Worries After Legal Weed
Hopewell Township Police Chief James Rosso said that while calls for police assistance have gone up in the Township since legalization, it’s impossible to say that cannabis is the reason why.
For example, Rosso noted, there has been an increase in arrests for driving under the influence in the Township. DUI is up from 19 in 2022, to 25 in 2023, and 31 in 2024–but these numbers include arrests for all types impaired driving, including both alcohol and cannabis.
“It’s most likely due to the growth of the community,” Rosso explained. “I can only recall a handful of underage possession incidents where warnings were given since legalization.”
In the years since cannabis legalization, Rosso said, the Township has seen fewer reported drug overdoses, down from 14 in 2020 to just five in 2023. None of these were related to cannabis, and there has not been “any notable number of accidental ingestions” of THC products, he said.
In Pennington Borough, Mayor Davy said cannabis legalization has led to “no points of concern” for public health and safety.
“I’m encouraged that there have been no law enforcement issues associated with [cannabis dispensaries’] operation, and no public health issues associated with their operation” he said.
While Rosso said that recreational cannabis legalization has not led to “any significant changes” to public health or safety, legal weed hasn’t been all flowers.
A Budding Problem: Schools Face Challenges in a Legal Weed World
“Vape devices and synthetic marijuana are a concern for our school-aged children who remain the most vulnerable,” Rosso said. “These devices are still being found on students.”
“Vapes,” short for vaporizers, are electronic devices to heat dried cannabis flowers or concentrates for inhalation without smoke. They are popular among younger consumers. Possession and use of cannabis remains illegal for anyone under age 21. Both Jersey Meds and Pure Blossom enforce strict identification requirements to ensure underage shoppers don’t get in the door.
Rosso noted that, in most cases, these devices are confiscated and disposed of without testing to learn if they contain cannabis, nicotine, or other chemicals. This challenge means that incidents involving vaping devices are often not reported to police, making it difficult to know how many kids are using cannabis versus other types of vapes.
At Hopewell Valley Central High School, officials said that immediately after legalization there was a dramatic increase in youth use of cannabis products in school, particularly vaporizers. Those numbers have regressed in the past two years, but school officials can be challenged by both ease of access and changing attitudes toward pot.
“The development of cannabis devices disguised to look like other items, such as highlighters or external hard drives, has enabled students to more easily hide the products they have purchased,” Riley explained.
While more kids may be getting their hands on cannabis products, Riley said, the biggest change may be in how parents view kids’ cannabis use.
“Legalization seems to have caused a shift in perception among HVRSD students and their parents and guardians,” Riley said. “Use of cannabis products is much more accepted than it was 10 years ago. Despite this acceptance, we continue to reiterate the fact that use of recreational cannabis is still illegal under the age of 21 and is prohibited by district policy.”
Concerns about underage cannabis use aren’t unique to Hopewell Valley.
Julie Dreifaldt is a Colorado-based mother and National Director of Outreach and Community Engagement for One Chance To Grow Up, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting “kids from THC through transparency, education, empowerment, and policy.”
The Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance reached out to One Chance to Grow Up to gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of recreational cannabis legalization, ensuring they were well equipped to effectively educate and support the Hopewell Valley community.
“Legal, regulated dispensaries do a great job of verifying ID, but we know that about 30% of New Jersey high school kids have said they’ve used marijuana at least once,” Dreifaldt said.
Online marketplaces can be a rich source of commercialized cannabis products with much looser ID rules. Today’s cannabis can be cleverly marketed with packaging and flavors that appeal to kids, she said. Plus, modern cannabis is much more potent than pot from the 1960s or even the 1990s, she noted. This combination of appeal, access, and potency can increase the risk of harm to kids’ developing brains.
“The American Psychiatric Association opposes marijuana,” she said. “There is no evidence it is mental health medicine.” Dreifaldt cited associations with risk of suicide, depression, and psychosis as potential harms to youth from cannabis consumption. That’s one reason why local educators are focused on raising awareness of the health impacts. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, she noted, can cause uncontrolled vomiting among some users, which can lead to hospitalization.
“No one wants to be a prohibitionist, and the stuff is legal in New Jersey,” Dreifaldt said. “The question is, how can we work within the parameters and create better safeguards for our kids?”
At HVCHS, school officials are working to help kids and parents understand the risks of weed–efforts that began even before cannabis was legalized in New Jersey.
“In anticipation of the challenges associated with legalization, we increased the educational components in our health classes relating to cannabis and tried to provide additional resources through school-wide events such as the Municipal Alliance Wellness Fair and addiction-related assemblies,” Riley said.
Students who violate the district’s drug and alcohol policy are required to undergo additional education, she said, in an effort to help increase awareness of the risks youth face from consuming cannabis and other substances.
Hopewell Valley Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece said educational efforts are ongoing throughout the district.
“The district has put considerable effort into educating the public about securing all controlled substances in their households,” she said. “We assembled a parent Drug and Alcohol Committee to help get our message to the community in the early days following legalization. During that time, we were able to audit our drug and alcohol awareness curriculum, identify any gaps, and work to create lessons for students at all grade levels. We also partner with our local police departments to talk to our students and parents about the legal ramifications of providing access to cannabis to minors.”
What’s Next for Commercial Cannabis in Hopewell Valley?
There is a limit to how many cannabis-related businesses can come to Hopewell Valley set by each municipality.
Pennington Borough has one license available for a medical dispensary, Davy said, but there are no applications.
In Hopewell Borough, one dispensary applicant is moving through the review process. In March of 2024, the Borough Planning Board approved site plans for a retail dispensary known as Evolve Sky on Hamilton Avenue. Later in 2024, the Borough Council and Planning Board okayed the operation’s revised plan to open at 52 East Broad Street.
Prior coverage by MercerMe on this issue can be found here, and application documents and site plans can be viewed on the Planning Board – Hopewell Borough website.
In Hopewell Township, one additional retail license can be allotted for a new business. Township officials have issued several “letters of support” for these businesses, which indicate their proposals meet local zoning requirements. Applicants must then obtain a license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission before securing a local license and satisfying other conditions to operate.
Having given out many letters of support without receiving a new application for its single remaining dispensary license, Township officials have enacted a moratorium to “put a pin in it and see where everything shakes out,” Peters-Manning said.
“We may reopen that at some point,” she said, “but it won’t be in the immediate future.”
The Township has granted one license for cannabis cultivation/manufacturing. Peters-Manning said the applicant, known as Stone Hill, will soon appear before the Township Planning Board seeking approval for a low-impact facility on Reed Road that would produce THC distillates for use in edible products and drinks. Stone Hill had been previously approved to operate a cultivation facility, but those plans have been shelved, Peters-Manning said.
