Catholic nuns in Atlantic City, N.J. lost their bid to block a dispensary just 150 feet from their home as city officials approved the business in what they're calling a bid to make the area the weed capital of the East Coast.
Mayor Marty Small Sr.'s administration sees the new cannabis businesses as powerful economic engines, potentially attracting investment and jobs into the city. Kashawn "Kash" McKinley, the city's cannabis czar, echoes this sentiment.
"My focus is to make Atlantic City great, to make Atlantic City the East Coast hub for cannabis," McKinley told Delaware Online in April.
Neighboring Nuns Object
Nuns from the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal Convent, which was established in the South Bronx in 1988, voiced concerns about the dispensary's proximity to their classes, including those they offer to teenagers as well as sobriety meetings, reported the New York Post. They also expressed concern about crime escalating in the area.
Sister Joseph Van Munster, drawing on her Dutch experience with legal marijuana, told the CRDA at a hearing in November that a new dispensary could be harmful for people dealing with substance abuse issues working toward recovery.
"I'm actually Dutch, so I grew up in a country where marijuana was legalized, and I've seen a lot of things over the years," Sister Joseph Van Munster said.
This isn't the first time religious groups have clashed with Atlantic City's cannabis ambitions. Over the summer, members of the Chelsea Baptist Church spoke out against a planned cannabis business about a block away — but that, too, wound up being approved by the board.
Read also: Atlantic City: Claridge Hotel's Former Gambling Casino To Become New Jersey's First Cannabis Lounge
Jersey's Booming Weed Market
Since recreational cannabis sales became legal in New Jersey on April 21, 2022, the marijuana market has grown by leaps and bounds and continues to evolve into a dynamic industry.
Multi-state operators in New Jersey include Acreage Holdings (OTCQX: ACRDF) Ascend Wellness (OTCQX: AAWH), AYR Wellness (OTCQX: AYRWF) Curaleaf (OTC: CURLF), Green Thumb (OTC: GTBIF), Columbia Care (OTC: CCHWF) TerrAscend (OTC: TRSSF) and Verano Holdings (OTCQX: VRNOF).
Photo: YouTube video of Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal
新澤西州大西洋城的天主教修女在封鎖離家僅150英尺的藥房的申請中敗訴,因爲市政府官員批准了該業務,他們稱之爲使該地區成爲東海岸的大麻之都。
市長 Marty Small Sr.政府將新的大麻業務視爲強大的經濟引擎,有可能爲該市吸引投資和就業機會。該市的大麻沙皇卡肖恩· “卡什” · 麥金萊也表達了這種觀點。
麥金萊在四月份告訴《特拉華在線》:“我的重點是讓大西洋城變得更好,讓大西洋城成爲東海岸的大麻中心。”
鄰近的修女物體
據《紐約郵報》報道,1988年在南布朗克斯區成立的復興修道院方濟會修女會的修女們對藥房離他們的課堂很近表示擔憂,包括他們爲青少年提供的藥房和清醒會議。他們還對該地區犯罪升級表示關切。
約瑟夫·範·芒斯特修女借鑑了她在荷蘭使用合法大麻的經歷,在11月的一次聽證會上告訴CRDA,新藥房可能對努力康復的處理藥物濫用問題的人有害。
約瑟夫·範·芒斯特修女說:“我實際上是荷蘭人,所以我在一個大麻合法化的國家長大,這些年來我看到了很多東西。”
這不是宗教團體第一次與大西洋城的大麻野心發生衝突。整個夏天,切爾西浸信會教堂的成員大聲疾呼反對一個街區之外計劃中的大麻生意,但這也最終獲得了董事會的批准。
另請閱讀:大西洋城:克拉裏奇酒店以前的賭博賭場將成爲新澤西州的第一家大麻休息室
澤西島蓬勃發展的大麻市場
自2022年4月21日新澤西州休閒大麻銷售合法化以來,大麻市場突飛猛進,並繼續發展成爲一個充滿活力的行業。
新澤西州的多州運營商包括Acreage Holdings(場外交易代碼:ACRDF)Ascend Wellness(場外交易代碼:AAWH)、AYR Wellness(場外交易代碼:AYRWF)、Curaleaf(場外交易代碼:CURLF)、Green Thumb(場外交易代碼:GTBIF)、哥倫比亞醫療(場外交易代碼:CCHWF)TerrAscend(場外交易代碼:TRSSF)和維拉諾控股公司(場外交易代碼:TRSSF)(場外交易代碼:TRSSF)和維拉諾控股公司(場外交易代碼:TRSSF)(場外交易代碼 OTCQX:VRNOF)。
照片:方濟會復興修女會的YouTube視頻