A weed dispensary co-owned by rapper Ice-T has closed less than a year after its grand opening in one of New Jersey’s largest cities.
Ice-T — a star of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” — partnered with former Playboy model Charis Burrett to open the shop. The store, called The Medicine Woman, opened in Jersey City in April.
The store’s website no longer lists its Jersey City location and Google search results say it has permanently closed. Heady NJ, a local cannabis news site, first reported the closure.
In a statement, the dispensary owners blamed a lack of local government support and mounting costs for the business’ failure.
“Despite significant investment, compliance, and readiness to launch, the lack of local oversight and regulatory infrastructure undermined our ability to grow and sustain operations, effectively driving the operation into the ground before it ever even had a real chance to get started,” company officials said.
“As a New Jersey native, I’m excited for the opportunity legalization offers our community,” the Newark-born Ice-T said in April when the shop opened.
The shop, located at 660-684 Tonnelle Ave, joined several other dispensaries already open in Jersey City.
Medicine Woman cannabis dispensary business partners, from left, Ice T, Charis Burrett and John Batchelor after their proposal to establish the business was approved at the Jersey City Cannabis Control Board meeting in 2022.Haresh Oudhnarine
Other cannabis shops associated with celebrities have also struggled to stay open. In Newark, a celebrity-backed cannabis store, Hashstoria, closed last year. Its backers included members of the Wu-Tang Clan and radio host Charlamagne tha God.
In some towns, weed dispensaries have had difficulty drawing enough customers to stay open.
New Jersey’s cannabis law allows municipalities to set restrictions and caps on the number of dispensaries. While an estimated 70% of the state’s municipalities have opted out of allowing weed shops, Jersey City is among the cities that allowed unlimited stores. However, the city has restrictions on the distance between dispensaries — a rule that has faced legal challenges.
More recently, city officials have moved to limit the number of dispensaries amid concerns that an oversaturation of shops could lead to increased competition for a limited customer base.
Atlantic City has taken similar steps to limit cannabis stores.