concept overview
TRANSCRIPT
Concept OverviewA proposed adult-use cannabis dispensary in Beach Haven.
Mission: Enhance the wellness of our town.
The problem
Although it’s still a polarizing topic, a majority of Beach Haven residents voted in favor of legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis. So the question becomes: how do we create a dispensary in town to satisfy the majority while respectfully reducing the fears and concerns of our residents who represent the minority?
A lot is being said around town.
What is true?
Reefer Madness is characterized by junk science and propaganda intended to seed a belief that a dispensary in Beach Haven will cause hundreds of unsavory characters to roam around in town.
We have identified misinformation, disinformation and personal smear attacks coming from individuals with clear links to two establishments that own liquor licenses in Beach Haven.
Let’s take the high road.
CDC works to reduce the four main risk factors for chronic disease, including:
● Tobacco use● Poor nutrition● Lack of physical activity● Excessive alcohol use
CDC reports that excessive alcohol use is responsible for:
● Over 95,000 deaths per year● Those lives lost were shortened
by an average of 29 years● This leads to a total of 2.8
million years of potential life lost each year
● 1 in 10 total deaths among working-aged adults
CDC reports chronic health conditions linked to excessive alcohol use:
● High blood pressure● Heart disease● Stroke● Liver disease● Cancer
CDC reports that excessive alcohol use in 2010 was responsible for:
● $249 billion cost to US economy, or a cost of $2.05 per drink
● About 40% of those costs were paid by federal, state and local governments
What’s true about today’s cannabis consumer?
Fastest growing segment of cannabis consumers is women age 65+.
Second fastest growing segment of cannabis consumers is men age 65+.
The average cannabis consumer has a higher median income than the average US consumer. Cannabis consumers typically will spend $500/month, or $6,000 annually, on cannabis-related products.
The average cannabis consumer has a higher level of education than the average US consumer overall.
What else is true?
A black market currently sells cannabis to our residents that is not tested for potency, pesticides, base metal contaminants, microbials, microtoxins, or for the presence of deadly mixtures with opioids like Fentanyl.
Summer visitors are bringing cannabis with them to LBI from other towns.
A local dispensary can help to deter black market drug activity, provide summer visitors a local place to safely and legally purchase, and a 2% tax can be collected by the town to offset direct costs to the police AND other first responder units.
What else is true?
In most cases, the presence of a dispensary in town increases overall security and property values.
LBI wants every other business to increase traffic during non-summer months.
The consumers that will be attracted to our dispensary year round would be the same “type” of people visiting LBI anyway - people who also dine at our restaurants and shop in our stores.
What business owner in town doesn’t want more post-pandemic consumer traffic?
A negative stigma, misinformation and disinformation still exist towards cannabis use, but the facts and the science are so overwhelmingly in favor of legalization, which is why:
● New Jersey voted 67% in favor● EVERY county in New Jersey
voted in favor● Ocean County, LBI and Beach
Haven voted in favor
The solution
Partner with a team of local experts who are personally vested in Beach Haven. Collaborate with them on cannabis education and community outreach. Design and open a dispensary that matches the unique needs and attitudes of our fellow residents and summer visitors. Reinvest the tax revenue into meaningful local initiatives.
The team
Chris and Andrea Weidling
Chris and Andrea are parents of three boys (Coleman, Hunter & Magnum) who attend Beach Haven School. Chris has vacationed on LBI with family for almost 40 years. In 1993, his family bought a house on Essex Avenue where Chris and Andrea have been living with their children and dog (Moxy) since 2017.
Andrea grew up on Mercer Island, WA. She earned a Masters Degree in Early Education from Hunter College and initially moved east when she attended Boston College for her undergraduate degree. Since moving to LBI, Andrea has immersed herself in holistic living, wellness, and has achieved 300-hour certification in yoga instruction. Previously, she worked at K-8 schools in Harlem and the South Bronx.
Another Boston College alum, Chris has been exclusively working in the cannabis industry since 2013. He’s acted as CFO, Board Member, Consultant and Advisor, and helped facilitate capital raises of more than $100m into the industry. Together, Chris and Andrea have owned equity in cannabis-related projects in 6 states and Canada.
The team
Mark DaviesLongtime local resident and expert real estate
developer with decades of successful experience on Long Beach Island and in
Beach Haven.
Sean Maxwell Bruce LehrerPartner at Maxwell Homes, a family-owned company
focused on coastal residential development in
New Jersey and South Carolina.
Previous owner and operator of six Sunglass
Menagerie retail locations throughout southern NJ, including 37 seasons in
Beach Haven.
Matt BekeljaLocal parent and strategic
branding and communications specialist with relevant experience in senior living, wellness and
aging services.
More about the team
5 local owners: four owners hold advanced degrees in finance, education, marketing and clinical psychology, and one who has 37 years of specialty retail experience in Beach Haven.
6 children in BHS: as local parents of children in our school, we are the right people to run this dispensary because we have the most vested interest in keeping cannabis out of the hands of minors AND reducing/eliminating the black market to keep our town free of criminal drug activity.
Concept
Personalization. Service. Wellness.
Our business concept will cater to our year-round residents, first and foremost, with a consultative approach and mission to enhance their personal wellness. Our service, space and education will create opportunities for mindfulness, socialization and personal growth. We will stock psychoactive and non psychoactive products based on the needs of our residents. This will especially benefit people living with a chronic illness, or simply the physical and emotional realities of aging, that can be alleviated with the appropriate cannabis products and guidance.
More than a dispensary
We intend to commit additional square footage to bring subject
matter experts and residents together where they will foster
learning, relationships and wellbeing.
Yoga
Mindfulness meditation
Acupuncture
Massage
Guest lectures
Live education
Therapy support groups
Proposed onsite education
Our team and partners will coordinate education for understanding cannabis, including topics such as:
● How cannabis works in the body● Cannabis product formats and applications● Ways to safely consume and securely store cannabis in your home● How to personalize your own relationship with cannabis
Proposed onsite therapeutic services
We have partnered with a local doctor of clinical psychology who can offer free cognitive behavioral therapy to the community through the following services:
● Support group for people with PTSD● Support group for people with Chronic Pain● Repeatable educational series for people coping with Insomnia● Support group for people affected by Cancer
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Appts 10-3
Guest lecture: Safe consumption and secure storage of cannabis in your home.
Appts 10-3
Yin Yoga
Appts 10-3
Acupuncture (by appt)
Education: Cannabis products 101
Appts 10-3
Guided Meditation
PTSD Support Group
Appts 10-3
Yin Yoga
Chronic Pain Support Group
Appts 10-7
Guided Meditation
Appts 10-7
Yin Yoga
First-timer cannabis workshop
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Appts 10-3
Lecture: How to shine in your golden years with cannabis.
Appts 10-3
Yin Yoga
Appts 10-3
Acupuncture (by appt)
Education session: Exercise and Cannabis
Appts 10-3
Guided Meditation
Insomnia Support Group
Appts 10-3
Yin Yoga
Cancer Support Group
Appts 10-7
Guided Meditation
Appts 10-7
Yin Yoga
First-timer cannabis workshop
SAMPLE BI-WEEKLY SCHEDULE FOR POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC, WELLNESS AND EDUCATION SERVICES
Potential product formatsOur ongoing decisions regarding the products to stock will be informed
and guided by community needs and sales reporting data. All products
must be produced in New Jersey and we have been establishing a network
of quality partners.
Topicals
Concentrates
Oral tinctures
Patches
Flower
Beverages
Gel caps
CBD products for pets
What if you have a prescription for cannabis?
Based on the new legislation, both medical and recreational cannabis products will be sold through adult-use cannabis dispensaries. This means that people with a medical prescription for cannabis will be able to purchase product locally in Beach Haven and pay no taxes on the sale. Further, the dispensary can provide safe and secure storage for individuals with prescriptions for stronger potency cannabis products.
Community considerations
Through our community outreach, meetings with town officials, and discussions with residents and neighbors, we have identified several considerations related to making sure the dispensary creates as little friction as possible for our town. We are open to further healthy collaboration around any of the operational details for this dispensary.
Delivery-only versus storefront with delivery
A delivery-only license will force residents to order cannabis products from an app on their phone, or a website, with zero personal guidance from a local expert.
With a class 5 cannabis dispensary license, we can offer local residents a storefront where they can consult with experts, and we can offer delivery services for those who prefer that approach.
Illegal delivery services are already advertising on the airplane banners above our beaches.
Delivery-only versus storefront with delivery
Delivery-only is a completely different business model based heavily on logistics software. The largest of which in the US is a billion dollar company originally funded by the rapper Snoop Dogg. Do you want big-money companies delivering cannabis products throughout our town, or a team of local residents who have a vested interest in this town?
Our retail store with delivery will generate more tax revenue than a delivery-only concept...perhaps by 2x depending on how the final regulations are settled.
Location
According to law, dispensaries must be at least 500 feet from schools and 200 feet from churches.
We are committed to securing a location greater than those distances from Beach Haven School and churches, while also trying to further the proximity to residential housing.
We are seeking a property with at least 12 dedicated parking spots and an elevated entrance with opportunity for architectural design to conceal any long lines that may form inside and outside.
Hours of operation
To help address traffic concerns, we prefer to not be open for walk-in business during the time when our kids are going to and from school. Proposed hours:
● Summer hours: 7 days a week with a max open time of 12 hours/day● Non-summer hours:
○ Closed on Mondays, ○ Open Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 9am-2pm for walk-ins, and 2pm-7pm for
appointment and delivery only○ Open Friday/Saturday/Sunday from 10am-6pm for walk-in, appointments and delivery
● For the record: there will be absolutely NO “teen nights,” ever.
Planned givingIn the spirit of the dispensary mission to enhance the wellness of our community, Jetty Rock Foundation and David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation will receive ongoing, planned-giving donations based on the dispensary revenue.
The agreement with each foundation will be written into the operational plan of the dispensary, which will be officially submitted to the state of New Jersey as part of the dispensary license application.
Design Preferences
Coastal. Thoughtful. Discrete.
Flashing neon pot leaf lights have no place in our community storefronts. Because we live the attitudes and preferences of our fellow residents, our approach to design will maintain the timeless coastal town vibe we love - that keeps us here all winter long. We see Pearl Street Market as just one example of the style of design we prefer.
The following pages are simply intended to give you a sense for the quality and range of architectural design in today’s dispensaries. We are open to healthy collaboration with our town throughout the design process.
Paper & Leaf (Bainbridge Island, Washington)
Etain (Manhattan, New York)
Columbia Care (San Diego, California)
Silverpeak (Aspen, Colorado)
Dockside Cannabis (Seattle, Washington)
Gnome Growth (Oregon City, Oregon)
Dispensary 33 (Chicago, Illinois)
The Apothocarium (San Francisco, California)
Matri Medicinals (Uniontown, Pennsylvania)
Royal Highness (Palm Desert, California)
Licensing timeline and details
New Jersey timeline
February 2021Governor Murphy signs historic Adult-use Cannabis Reform Bills into law.
March 2021Both Houses unanimously pass amendment to the underage penalties law.
April 2021Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) sits for the first time.
August 22, 2021Deadline for municipalities to pass ordinances banning cannabis businesses.
Feb March April May June July August
Best estimate on timing of future events
DOH will award medical licenses from 2018/2019 applications. Final adult-use rules and regulations will be provided by the CRC. Adult-use RFA will be released by the CRC.
Deadline for adult-use applications.
Licenses awarded.
Revenues commence.
3Q 2021 4Q 2021 1Q 2022 2Q 2022
Micro Class 5 Retail License
Must demonstrate the suitability of the location and provide a community impact plan
Must have proper zoning approval
Must have proof of local support via a council resolution
Must demonstrate that we can take control of the property via lease or purchase arrangement. If a lease, the landlord must sign off on special use.
Allows the borough to enact a 2% tax on all cannabis products sold which will be collected by the licensee and paid directly to Beach Haven Borough.
What does “Micro” mean?
Applicant must be a New Jersey resident for 2+ years.
Applicant must be a resident of the municipality where the business operates (or bordering municipality).
Retail footprint (where customers will be) must be 2,500 square feet, or less.
Entity can only handle up to 1,000 pounds of cannabis per month.
Entity can only have 10 employees, or less.
Micro means “locally owned.”
Other licensing factors
15% of all licenses must be given to minority-owned applicants
35% of all licenses awarded must be “Micro”
Micro licenses can apply to the state for upgrade to full license within a year
Option to add delivery (all of LBI and Stafford Township are viable markets)
Option to add an onsite cannabis consumption area
Majority voted in favor.
Vested, local residents involved.
Meaningful community concept.
Get involved! Tell town officials you’re in favor of this storefront, wellness-focused dispensary.
Two simple ways to get involved
1. Email Town Council and Borough Manager:
2. Share your support at a town meeting.
Click below to register for the town meeting happening on Monday, July 12 at 6pm when cannabis will be discussed.
https://bit.ly/36jM38F