What to expect when you buy recreational marijuana in NJ

Whether you’re feeling anxious, having trouble sleeping or just looking to kick back and chill out, recreational cannabis dispensaries are now open for business across the Garden State, offering a variety of smokable, eatable and topical products.

Anthony Marsico, the executive vice president of Verano, the company that operates several Zen Leaf dispensaries in New Jersey, said once you arrive you’ll be greeted by a cannabis consultant.

“At that point, we’re going to gauge your cannabis knowledge and we’re going to talk through our suite of products and find out what kind of effects you’re looking for,” he said.

What’s available?

If you’re looking for a traditional marijuana high or simple pain relief, he said “we have everything from full flower to vapes to consumables, topical, a wide suite of products.”

He pointed out different products have “different THC levels, different terpene profiles, things like that, our motto for somebody who’s new to cannabis or hasn’t tried it in a while, start low go slow."

It's not the pot you were smoking in college

“A lot of this stuff is a lot more potent than maybe if you smoked in the '60s or '70s, so we like to ease into it,” said Marsico.

He said while many people come to a dispensary for marijuana to smoke or eat, others stop by to get topicals.

“Any sort of joint pain, we make a lotion in a balm and you just literally rub it on the area you’re feeling irritation and it really, really helps.”

Price of legal marijuana in New Jersey

He said depending on the type and strength of the product you’re getting, prices will vary but “the average customer walking in or out of here is probably going to spend in the $80 to $100 range but really it depends on what you’re looking for and how many products you’re looking to leave with.”

Is legal marijuana safe?

He pointed out all products being sold in New Jersey dispensaries come from a state-licensed cultivation or processing facility.

“All of those products have to go through third-party lab testing. They’re tested for pesticides, fungicides, metallics, they have to be put in sealed, finished packaging which is tamper-proof,” he said.

He pointed out packaging is also child-proof.

“We want to put the black market out of business, these products are safe and much better than anything you’re going to get on the street,” he said.

David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at david.matthau@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.