Morristown, NJ’s first dispensary comes from … Massachusetts?

A commenter on the Instagram page of the town of Morristown, New Jersey, said the first thing I was thinking when I read the news about its first dispensary.

Why Massachusetts owners?

There’s a part of me that was really hoping some native New Jerseyans would be able to cash in on this new and soon-to-be booming industry.

Already operating in Pepperell and Waltham, Massachusetts, Uma Flowers has been awarded the license for Morristown’s first dispensary.

Started last December by sisters-in-law Priyanka and Tejal Patel, Uma edged out five other applicants to secure the license from the Morristown council, perhaps because of the allure of the company being family-owned, women-led, and according to its website, “safe, pure, and clean.”

According to the city’s Instagram feed, Uma Flowers’ plan is to lease a former Budget car rental agency and auto repair shop on 102 Ridgedale Ave.

The site is on a busy stretch of road, across from a former State Motor Vehicle Inspection Station, a bank, and a lumberyard, near the Morris Township border.

Uma Flowers emphasizes safety over and over again on its website. They believe that cannabis can bring about positive changes for overall health and wellness and say they want to be the link between the public and safe, informed cannabis use.

They are definitely playing the female card. No judgment here, but their website is peppered with references to the company being female-owned.

It proudly states that “The future is female,” and that “The cannabis industry is predominantly run by men,” and, conversely, they are “run by two strong independent women.” And for a lot of people, that’s definitely going to be a selling point.

What also may attract people to Uma above other dispensaries is the fact that they are already operating two successful dispensaries in another state. Their success can be proven.

Of course, as is the case with other dispensaries, It’ll be a while until they can actually dispense the Banana Bunch, Jilly Bean, or Kiwi Hollow listed on their website menu. They’re waiting for state approval and the other hoops of bureaucracy they have to jump through to open a dispensary in New Jersey.

But for a lot of people in Morristown and the surrounding areas, it’ll be worth the wait.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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