A marijuana lounge is headed for an Atlantic City hotel just off the Boardwalk
This is the Conceptual rendering of the sign
In Atlantic City the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City is making space on what used to be its casino floor for a cannabis dispensary and lounge.The state is finalizing its approval of regulations on legalized consumption lounges, where customers can smoke, vaporize, or eat cannabis products they’ve purchased at dispensaries in a public setting, like a weed version of a bar or restaurant.
Meanwhile, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority gave its approval last week to a 10,000-square-foot, two-story High Rollers Dispensary, to be located at the Claridge, a 1920s-era former casino located between Park Place and Indiana Avenue, just off the Boardwalk.
The Claridge hotel that will become the new Lounge
Because the Claridge does not technically abut the Boardwalk — it is separated by Brighton Park and the Korean War Memorial — it is not subject to the city’s restriction against recreational cannabis on the Boardwalk. And it no longer has a casino, which would have subjected it to federal restrictions.
The Atlantic City Canabis Zone
Jon Cohn, an owner of High Rollers Dispensary, said the company was close to finalizing its lease from the Claridge and would embark on $3.2 million in renovations, including building a new entrance on Pacific Avenue near Indiana.
The dispensary portion will take over most of what was formerly an art gallery that is now used mainly for cocktail parties, weddings and other events. The hotel, which does a brisk wedding business, will maintain a portion of that space for that use. Cohn said the dispensary and lounge would also be accessible through the hotel lobby, except when the hotel is hosting weddings, he said.
The rest of the space, and a second-story, 3,700-square-foot former baccarat lounge, will be renovated into the dispensary and consumption lounge, featuring a non-alcoholic bar, possible options for outside food, live music and other pop-up entertainment, Cohn said.
One of the Galleries that will be a lounge.
The state’s current proposed regulations do not permit any alcohol or food to be sold inside consumption lounges, but those provisions have been subject to criticism during the public comment period, which ends March 18.
When the High Roller Dispensary opens up it will benefit the City and those around the area. With Stockton University creating a minor in Cannabis Studies recently. It will benefit the graduating students in that field of study with getting a job at the dispensary.
The owner is anticipating 175 jobs for the cultivation facility, which is still under review by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, and 35 more for the dispensary and lounge.