Approval Granted for Recreational Cannabis Lounge in Atlantic City, Close to Boardwalk Casinos
A proposed marijuana dispensary and consumption lounge named "High Rollers Dispensary" in Atlantic City, near the Boardwalk, has received site plan approval from the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA).
The CRDA's goal is to promote economic and community development using mostly funds generated by the nine casinos situated in the area.
The authority supervises land-use planning within the Atlantic City Tourism District, which stretches across the vicinity of the city's nine casino resorts, including Bader Field, the Atlantic City Convention Center grounds, and the Marina District.
Last week, the CRDA endorsed various projects, one of them being the High Rollers Dispensary, a recreational cannabis dispensary and lounge close to the Boardwalk.
The proposed dispensary covering 10,000 square feet is set to occupy parts of the first and second floors of The Claridge, a hotel without gaming facilities near the Boardwalk. The location, situated behind the Korean War Memorial and Brighton Park, doesn't contravene the CRDA's rules as recreational cannabis facilities aren't required to directly touch the Boardwalk.
Agri-Kind, a cannabis cultivator and dispenser based in Pennsylvania, is the driving force behind the High Rollers Dispensary.
Atlantic City Cannabis Zone
In a 2020 referendum, New Jersey voters legalized recreational marijuana. Recreational cannabis dispensaries are functioning across New Jersey, with only one, The Botanist in Egg Harbor Township, being located near Atlantic City.
Alongside The Botanist, two medicinal-only dispensaries have opened up in Atlantic City itself — another Botanist location on the Boardwalk and another called MPX NJ on New York Ave.
The CRDA is keen on keeping the Boardwalk devoid of recreational cannabis dispensaries and lounges. Instead, they wish to position those facilities in their so-called “Green Zone” beyond Pacific Ave.
The "Green Zone" extends from Boston Ave. between Pacific and Atlantic avenues all the way north to Maryland Ave.
Federal laws disallow commercial casinos from participating in any aspect of the cannabis business. Due to cannabis remaining a Schedule 1 narcotic at the federal level, casinos and cannabis cannot coexist. State gaming rules compel gaming establishments to adhere to all federal regulations and banking laws.
Pending State Approval
New Jersey is in the process of establishing rules for consumption lounges, where both recreational and medicinal users can purchase and consume THC-infused products.
With the site plan approved by the CRDA, the owners behind the "High Rollers Dispensary" will require a consumption lounge permit from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission once it starts accepting applications this year.
Though Atlantic City's casinos and cannabis facilities cannot converge, the High Rollers Dispensary project has an appealing touch for gamblers with its clever name. Should it obtain a state license, the facility would also be located in what once was a casino.
The Claridge, which opened in 1930 as a casino and hotel, was acquired by adjacent Bally's in 2000. It then transformed into a standalone hotel tower and boutique casino for the Boardwalk resort.
Gaming ceased at The Ridge, commonly known locally, in 2012. Caesars Entertainment sold the hotel to a Florida-based real estate firm, TJM Properties, the following year.
TJM owned the closed Atlantic Club Casino Hotel further south down the Boardwalk until it found a buyer for the deteriorating building in 2019. A New York real estate investment firm, Colosseo Development Group, plans to redevelop the former commercial casino into a luxury condominium tower.
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