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Day Two of recreational marijuana sales in NJ
There were long lines and lots of sales as day two of recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey is officially in the books.
NEW YORK - Friday was day two of recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey, and things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Long lines outside of Zen Leaf in Elizabeth continued to form throughout the day.
Seven medical marijuana companies were approved by the state to begin adult recreational sales this week.
NJ cannabis legalization: Off-duty cops can use weed, official says
Aaron Miles, the Chief Investment Officer for Verano the company that overseas Zen Leaf dispensaries says they’re still tallying up sales numbers. The company has dispensaries in multiple states and says they’ve impressed with the turnout in New Jersey.
"We’re really happy with what we are seen so far. And then we’ll calculate what the numbers look like. We’re really in day 2 of what’s been a historic event for NJ. It’s Friday and we are going to into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday we’ll see continued interest of people going into the store and seeing what we have to offer," says Miles.
Security remains tight outside the dispensary and police presence has been beefed up to help direct traffic in the area.
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NY lagging behind in legal weed sales
When it comes to legal weed sales, New York is officially lagging behind New Jersey. With the launch today in the Garden Sate, New York is getting a good look at the potential tax revenue it's missing out on. But officials are hopeful that pot sales in the Empire State will be up and running by the end of the year.
Verano tells us they’ve been able to keep up with demand from both their medical and recreational customers.
"We have a 120 thousand square foot cultivation facility in Branchburg. We have been working on this day for years now. When we built our supply his it was for medical only. And we started momentum pick up for rec…we started to build up our supply as well," says Miles.
Verano tells us they are expanding and are looking to hire more staff. They especially want to hire individuals who have been negatively impacted by the old marijuana laws.