While Sunday’s rainy weather dampened the nearby 420 Fest hosted by Jersey Joint Dispensary, Saturday was a sunny day full of music, food, and of course, cannabis.
A crowd of around 100 people gathered in and around the parking lot for the dispensary, with a small stage for live-music setup near tents for cannabis companies and other vendors.
“It’s always great to play these town events that bring the whole town and community together and people together,” said Steve Difalco, rhythm guitarist and vocalist for Crickets and Cicadas, one of the bands playing the event. “So, I always love being a part of that, you know, building the community with everybody out here.”
Vendors even had tables inside the dispensary, where Deepa Bharat set up a variety of wellness products from her brand, Scrub a Lil Deepa.
“I’ve been in this community for a while. I have started my wellness line with magnesium and CBD products,” Bharat said. “So, being in the local community is very important for me because we do a lot of local farmers’ markets and participate in events like this.”
While events like this are not only great for fostering community, it is a great opportunity for cannabis companies throughout the state to raise brand awareness and build strong customer relationships.
“Well, most of the time we are relegated to the inside of the dispensary unless there’s an event,” said Hugh McLachlan, the brand ambassador for The Clear in South Jersey. “So, to be able to kind of bring it out, be a little more out in the open, a little more community facing, talk to people who would never really be here unless Crickets [and Cicadas] is playing. It’s really nice to kind of open up and see new people.”
For lifelong residents of the state, the importance of the event also resided in the murky history of the plant.
“I’m a Jersey native born and raised,” said Robin Chism, the field marketing manager for Garden Green. “I never thought I’d see the day where we’d be doing something like this. I’ve been in the industry since 2018, and I’m still not numb to what we are creating.”
Chism spoke about her experiences within the cannabis industry, as well as discussing differences she has seen both within the business and culture surrounding the plant.
“When I was first getting started, everyone had questions,” Chism explained. “People were still, you know, very quiet about their use, had a lot of questions, and I think now people are a little more educated, now they’re more savvy. People are wanting to find good products that work for them.”
Those who were at the event shared a common idea: that festivals and programs like this are important for the community and the business.
“It’s a nice little event that tightens up the community,” said Johnny Miller, one of the festival attendees. “And, it promotes cannabis and the economical developments of the business.”
“4/20 is something that started as a ‘find your best friends, go to your favorite smoke spot, and just kind of fall off the grid for a day,’” McLachlan said. “Now that it’s turned into the Black Friday of Cannabis, I think anybody who shops in the dispensary this weekend should tip their budtender well and remember the origins of the holiday.”
When talking about the future of the industry within the state, Chism acknowledged some growth that still needs to be made.
“A lot has changed,” Chism said. “We still have a lot more to grow. I’m pushing for home grow to be a thing. But, I’m just really proud of New Jersey, and I’m happy to see where it goes, and I hope it’s in the right direction.”
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