We recently sat down with Chelsea Duffy for our Love of Community Podcast & Video Series, co-founder of Grand Innovations and local medical cannabis advocate to discuss the legalization of medical marijuana in Jersey City. Regardless of where your opinion falls on the matter, it’s important we discuss these issues publicly. Without discussion and education, misinformation can spread quicker than facts. (Listen and Watch) .

It’s not a matter of if medical cannabis will have a future in Jersey City, it’s when.A contract has already been approved for a medical cannabis cultivation center in Jersey City that will grow, manufacture and produce. Approval for storefront dispensaries are in the works.

The owness is now on each of us to decide what that means. With this reality on our doorstep, it’s crucial that as community members we research the facts posed by cannabis activists and those that are opposed to medically legalizing Marijuana. It takes a deep understanding of the concerns brought up from both sides to have a greater, impactful discussion on what it means for Jersey City as a community. How will we set a good example for the rest of the country, and pioneer this business for the state with a model of safety, responsibility, and compassion?

As it stands currently, there are many in our community who have been approved for usage of medical marijuana by their physicians but are unable to obtain relief due to inaccessibility. They are cancer patients, elderly residents who suffer various bodily pain, those suffering from PTSD, and more.

I encourage you to listen to our first podcast on this important, albeit controversial topic. Talk it over with your neighbors, co-workers, and friends, and by all means, leave us questions, (respectful) comments, concerns, or notes on our site. Everyone deserves to be heard with respect and consideration As long as we remember we’re all in this together, compromise can fuel great progress.