New Jersey may have green-lit legal weed, but whether or not the Jersey Shore wants it is still hazy

New Jersey might be the Garden State, but the Jersey Shore is certainly lacking a specific kind of greenery — cannabis.

Last year was the first summer of legal weed sales in New Jersey. A year in, however, there is only a single adult-use cannabis dispensary for adult consumers at southern beaches in New Jersey (the area known to Philadelphians as “down the Shore”). This may come as a surprise since the majority of New Jersey voters, including many in Jersey Shore counties, are pro-cannabis legalization.

It raises the question: How weed-friendly is the Jersey Shore? You’ll be singing, “meet me tonight in Atlantic City.” Here’s what you need to know about the cannabis industry at the Jersey Shore.

Atlantic City is poised to not only be the only place you can gamble at the Jersey Shore but also the only place to buy and consume cannabis by the end of this year. In April, it became the first South Jersey Shore destination to have an adult-use cannabis dispensary, with local medical dispensaries expected soon to allow for adult-use sales. By summertime, another dispensary plans to open inside a beachside casino and hotel with a designated cannabis consumption lounge.

According to Kashawn “Kash” McKinley, the mayor’s director of constituent services and also known as the town’s “cannabis czar,” Atlantic City wants to continue being a destination where options aren’t limited.

“We’re creating an experience. Some cities, they might just say, ‘Get your cannabis and then go straight to Atlantic City so you can consume it and chill,’ — but for us we want the overall experience,” McKinley said. “We want the conventions, we want the festivals, we want the museums and tours — everything that encompasses the holistic approach of this industry.”

The only other places you can get legal weed are the Botanist in Egg Harbor Township and the Cannabist in Vineland — however, neither of these are located in Shore towns. (And logistically speaking, the Cannabist is an hour inland from the Shore.) There are other legal weed shops north of Atlantic City, but for Philly beachgoers, many won’t make the hour-plus trek up to the farther north Shore towns of Neptune or Eatontown.

Pro tip: If you want to stay in a Shore town with easy access to legal weed, plan a trip to or near Atlantic City.

Technically, no. Or at least, no other Shore town has a legal cannabis dispensary — medicinal or adult-use. Each of the more than 500 New Jersey municipalities is allowed to opt in or out of cannabis businesses operating in their town. Most towns south of Atlantic City have opted out of adult-use cannabis.

Some towns have gone a further step by implementing their own ban on consuming cannabis products in public or cannabis businesses from operating entirely, including Cape May, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Wildwood Crest, and Seaside Heights.

According to New Jersey cannabis attorney, advocate, and educator Chirali Patel, the Jersey Shore is most likely concerned about the “family-friendly” culture of its towns.

“We’re still living in this very real stigma and they’re not embracing it,” said Patel, who has worked on expunging the records of and helping to obtain cannabis business licenses for people convicted of marijuana-related offenses. “What I’ve been reading and seeing in my experience is that a lot of these towns, especially the Shore towns, promote this image of family-friendly beaches.”

Patel sees the most restrictions on cannabis in Ocean City, where the sale of alcohol in town has been banned for over a century, and in Sandy Hook, which sits at the very northern tip of the Jersey Shore. Sandy Hook is federal land, so definitely don’t get caught with weed there, she said.

Jeff Vasser, the executive director for the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, said that for many towns, they’d rather observe how other municipalities handle weed before seeing if it’s right for them.

“We’re still in the early stages of this whole cannabis market and cannabis tourism, people are taking a wait-and-see attitude,” Vasser said. “Some towns have voted it down, but others are still discussing cannabis. But for now, Atlantic City is the primary destination.”

Pro tip: Buy and pack your own stash of cannabis, as it’s not illegal to possess it (consuming it is the trickier part), or wait until cannabis delivery services are approved to operate in the state later this year because municipalities are not able to ban cannabis delivery in their towns.

Let’s make one rule super clear: There is currently no place at the Jersey Shore where you can legally smoke or vape cannabis in public areas, indoor or outdoor, and that includes boardwalks and beaches. Not even in Atlantic City, though that will change as a cannabis consumption lounge is slated to open later this summer, and more dispensaries are expected to open their own consumption areas, according to McKinley.

“The best advice for other cities is that local leaders and constituents know their city better than anybody else. See what fits and what doesn’t fit, there’s no cookie-cutter approach for what is good for your city,” he added.

The only place you’re allowed to legally consume cannabis products at the Shore (and all of New Jersey) is on private property with permission. That means that you need to own the property you’re consuming cannabis on, or have permission from the property owner.

There is a provision in New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act that allows hotels, motels, and other lodging establishments to permit smoking in up to 20% of their rooms. Rental properties can also allow smoking, however, you’ll still need permission from the hotel or rental property owner, according to Patel.

If you’re caught smoking or consuming cannabis in public areas, you can receive a fine. It’s $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, and $1,000 for third and subsequent violations.

Expert sources

• Chirali Patel, attorney and cannabis advocate, Blaze Law Firm
• Jeff Vasser, executive director, NJ Division of Travel & Tourism
• Kashawn "Kash" Mckinley, director of constituent services and chair of cannabis review board, City of Atlantic City
• Louis Magazzu, cannabis business attorney, Magazzu Law Firm
• Daniel Ulloa, cannabis journalist and entrepeneur, HeadyNJ