Eatontown Marijuana Store Now Selling Recreational Weed, Too

EATONTOWN, NJ — Garden State Dispensary, the marijuana store on Rt. 35 in Eatontown — which sold medical marijuana only for the past two years — started selling recreational weed at 10 a.m. Wednesday, NJ.com reported.

The price of marijuana is regulated — not fixed — by the state of New Jersey, but prices do vary by store: Currently, an eighth of an ounce costs about $50 to $65, which is $400 to $520 per ounce, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Garden State Dispensary (owned by AYR Wellness) is located at 59 Rt. 35, near the entrance to Fort Monmouth, and they opened in 2020. They applied to expand into recreational marijuana sales, and were approved by the state's Cannabis Regulatory Commission in late May.

Garden State Dispensary first had to get permission from the town of Eatontown to expand into recreational sales; the Eatontown town Council OK'd their request last August.

In fact, not only did they approve that, but the Eatontown council plans to allow two more pot businesses to open within town limits:

1. A retail cannabis dispensary is proposed to open at the Michael's (craft store) Plaza at 178 Rt. 35. That store would be owned by Sunrise Holdings LCC, which already filed a new marijuana business license application with the borough. At their March 23, 2022 meeting, the Eatontown council said in this resolution they support approving the license.

2. A Holmdel woman wants to build a facility to grow and manufacture marijuana on Industrial Way West, according to the Asbury Park Press. She wants to open it at Lot 5 at 260-270 Industrial Way West, Block 3502, according to this March 7 Planning Board agenda. Her request for a marijuana-grow operation has not yet been approved by the Eatontown Planning Board.

Neighboring Long Branch also plans to give out up to six marijuana licenses.