Camden has a new recreational marijuana dispensary — and it has a drive-thru

Camden cannabis consumers can now legally grab a bag without even getting out of their cars.

Organic Farms, the city’s newest recreational cannabis dispensary, opened with a soft launch on Monday. It comes with what owner Dominic Rivera says is a milestone for South Jersey marijuana — the area’s first cannabis drive-thru window.

“There’s going to be a couple more coming up in the future,” said Rivera, a 51-year-old Camden native. “But we’re the first around here.”

The dispensary, Rivera added, is also Camden’s first recreational micro dispensary, essentially on the opposite end of the spectrum from large multi-state operators that have dominated New Jersey’s marijuana industry. Recreational cannabis sales began in New Jersey in April 2022, and the state is home to more than 50 adult-use cannabis retailers, according to state data.

“For me, it’s a big deal because I’m the little guy,” Rivera said.

To use the drive-thru, customers will need to make an order online via the Organic Farms website, and then head to the shop at 2895 Mt. Ephraim Ave. There, they will have their IDs verified, pay, and pickup their products, all without leaving the comfort of their vehicle. (Curbside delivery and in-store shopping are also available.)

That element of Organic Farms is a bit of kismet for Rivera, who came to the cannabis business nearly a decade ago after 20 years in the banking industry. As luck would have it, Organic Farms ended up opening shop in a former PNC Bank location, and retained the ex-bank’s drive-thru with municipal approval.

“Ain’t that funny?” Rivera said. “We got blessed.”

While Rivera has lifelong ties to Camden, he owned his first cannabis-focused business across the river in South Philly. In 2018, he and a group of friends opened the CBD-centric shop Hemperiffic, which still operates around the corner from the former Melrose Diner.

Rivera, however, ended up selling his shares in Hemperiffic amid the coronavirus pandemic, when a bout of COVID-19 caused him to have a heart attack that seriously impacted his life for nearly two years, leaving him unable to work.

“I was out of commission, and I almost died,” Rivera said. “I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t talk. I had multiple heart attacks after that, and went back to the hospital multiple times.”

Ultimately, a buy-out offer from his Hemperiffic partners was what he called “a miracle,” because it allowed him to focus on getting Organic Farms off the ground.

That opening doesn’t come without a little swag. The shop serves as one of five Cookies Corners locations in New Jersey, thanks to a deal with popular rapper Berner’s Cookies cannabis and clothing brand. The shop, Rivera said, will carry exclusive Cookies products, and will likely see in-store visits from the rapper when he’s in the area for performances.

As for Philadelphians: Just don’t bring any product back over the bridge with you. The shop is located just a couple minutes’ drive from the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin bridges but can’t be carried across state lines.

“We are the closest to Philly right now,” Rivera said.