Raekwon, aka Raekwon the Chef of Wu-Tang Clan, plans to open Hashstoria dispensary and cannabis lounge on Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. The new location will be housed in a historic building in the core of Newark’s Four Corners District located downtown.

However, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission is still accepting public comments on the proposed rules for consumption areas in the state.

After the public comment period closes on March 18, the rules will be finalized and adopted. Once the rules are filed and published in the New Jersey Register, the commission will accept applications for

consumption areas, for dispensaries already in operation or that have their permits.

Visit Cannabis Related Laws (nj.gov) for the proposed consumption area rules, and Recreational License Awardees (nj.gov) to find all the cannabis businesses that have been awarded licenses in the state.

Co-founded by Raekwon, Hashstoria is a top-rated brand collective and dispensary chain focused on quality and the consumer experience. Raekwon’s Compliments of the Chef line sold at Hashstoria features merch and clothing representing his values and the flavorful selections he finds. 

Hashstoria dispensary chain, a combination of the words “hashish” and “Astoria” in Oregon. (Astoria is where The Goonies was filmed.) Locations are open in Gladstone and Springfield in Oregon as well. The fourth dispensary location and lounge will open in Newark. 

The historic location’s history stretches back to 1839—once housing one of the oldest clothiers in New Jersey. It’s located across the Street from Prudential Center and Indigo Hotel, and walking distance to Newark Penn Station and Mulberry Commons.

Jersey Digs, providing real estate and development news, first reported that the lounge is slated to open in March. RHG Architecture + Design was hired by Hashstoria and came before Newark’s Landmark and Historic Preservation Commission recently to present plans for facade renovations. 

The site was approved unanimously by the Landmark and Historic Preservation Commission.

The four-story building is an aging landmark in the Four Corners Historic District with lots of character and potential—however “ornamentations” on the first two floors of the building were mostly destroyed over the past several decades.

“There’s been a lot of change over time with this building,” Rachael Grochowski, principal of RHG Architecture + Design told Jersey Digs. “We’re going to have community art in the window that will be changeable. The existing window frames will be painted black to freshen them up and really stand out and coordinate with the signage.”

Developers plan to restore the facade using the same type of bricks used in the remnants of the historic building, along with new windows and headers.

Some commission members initially expressed hesitation with the dispensary and lounge plans, but approved of the latest proposals when a few improvements were made. “I think it looks a whole lot better than what you presented before and I applaud you for it,” Commissioner Richard Grossklaus said.

Wu-Tang Clan members are very familiar with Newark, given they film large chunks of the biopic Wu-Tang: An American Saga in downtown Newark and the South Ward. Raekwon was photographed taking hits from a blunt with Method Man in the August 1996 issue of High Times, one of many appearances. Raekwon also got involved with NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber‘s cannabis brand Players Only with his business partner, Lavetta Willis, joining Quavo, Royce da 5’9″, Matt Barnes, and Jason Williams.

New Jersey’s market is younger than Oregon’s, where the brand first launched. The company’s website lists a March opening date.

Last November, New Jersey voters approved Public Question 1, ending a three-year effort to approve adult-use cannabis in the state. New Jersey was one of four states—along with Arizona, Montana and South Dakota—to approve an adult-use cannabis bill on election night in 2022.

Check out the dispensary plans on the Hashstoria website.

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There was a lucky vibe for Friday the 13th, at the grand opening for cannabis consumption lounge The Woods, co-owned by actor and cannabis entrepreneur Woody Harrelson. Located in West Hollywood, California, the newly remodeled storefront is one of the first of a slew of consumption facilities slated to open in the city over the next two years.

“It’s the most auspicious day, which is why we did it today,” Harrelson told High Times. He explained the years-long process, which has finally led to the sunlit space on Santa Monica Boulevard.

“It was years even before that because my friend and partner Samba (dispensary owner Devon “Samba” Wheeler)—he has now three dispensaries, ERBA Markets—anyway, he was a good friend of mine even before he went off into that stuff, and he was talking to me, ‘You know, you should do it.’

“And I was like ‘I don’t know, what if the feds decide to crack down? What do you do?’ It just depends on how aggro the administration is. So, it just felt a little bit too dicey. Then, he convinced me and we started looking at places—years ago, we started looking. A place on Sunset, here and there, Malibu, everywhere. I came and saw this place with him and I’m like this is the most beautiful place; I went and I hung out in the back area—that’s not actually open yet—it has a koi pond, tropical plants.”

The new lounge’s showroom is white with exposed brick and beams, lots of wood (of course), and large enough to accommodate a throng of event attendees. The doors were officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the presentation of a Certificate of Welcome from the City of West Hollywood by Mayor Lauren Meister. Several city officials also were there, along with media, and cannabis industry insiders, some of them in Los Angeles to attend this weekend’s Emerald Cup event. Harrelson is slated to judge at the event.

A longtime advocate, Harrelson said he would continue to support legalization of cannabis on a federal level and legal reforms, especially for those currently imprisoned on cannabis charges.

“If advocacy means shooting my mouth off, then I’m going to continue to do that,” Harrelson said.

“It’s absurd,” he continued. “There are these things called consensual crimes, or victimless crimes, and those are the crimes that don’t hurt anybody other than the person perpetrating the crime, right? Like gambling, drugs, prostitution. To me, if you’re not hurting someone else or their property, you should be able to do whatever the hell you want. I’m not condoning gambling or drugs or anything—I’m just saying, in a real, free society that pretty much should be the definition. The government tries to say, ‘We’re going to put you in jail,’ which they have done for so many years, ‘because you like marijuana.’ That’s pretty absurd and I think it’s pretty much of an overreach.”

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