Cannabis

“EXPERT” TESTIMONY – Eduard Lanetskiy testifies about the proximity of cannabis dispensaries to schools and other “sensitive uses” at the October 16 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. An application to establish a cannabis dispensary at Demott Lane and Amwell Road, which was rejected in August, was approved on October 16 by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Board granted the …

PROHIBITED MURAL? – This mural on the side of the Green Knight Dispensary on Hamilton Street needs approval from both the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. A mural on the side of a Hamilton Street cannabis dispensary is not the type of wall art the Hamilton Street Advisory Board wants to see. The issue was …

MAKING HIS CASE – Gary Burnett describes the cannabis business he wanted to put in a building at DeMott Lane and Amwell Road at the August 7 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. An application to locate a cannabis dispensary in a residentially zoned building at DeMott Lane and Amwell Road was denied August 7 by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. …

An application seeking permission to locate a cannabis dispensary in a residential zone is scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment at its August 7 meeting. The applicant, Hound Town 543, wants to take part of the Bilco bicycle repair shop at the corner of Amwell Road and DeMott Lane and transform it into a dispensary. The …

A GROWING SECTOR – Five of the township’s cannabis-related businesses recorded sales of at least $1 million in the first half of 2025. (File photo). Cannabis-related businesses in the township generated more than $278,000 in sales taxes in the first half of 2025. That translates to nearly $14 million in sales, and a Franklin cannabis industry on track to eclipse …

OFFICIAL RIBBON-CUTTING – Deputy Mayor Shepa Uddin and Township Councilman Ram Anbarasan cut the ribbon March 22 at Herb’s Premium Dispensary on Franklin Boulevard. One of the township’s newest cannabis dispensaries held a grand opening party on March 22. Herb’s Premium Dispensary, located at 757 Franklin Boulevard, brought in a DJ, food trucks, barbecue and catered food to formally celebrate …

MULTI MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS – Bloc Somerset, located in the Village Plaza shopping center on Easton Avenue, recorded more than $6 million in sales in 2024. (File photo.) The 12 cannabis retailers operating at least part of 2024 in Franklin generated nearly $400,000 in sales taxes paid to the Township. Cannabis retailers pay 2 percent of their receipts to the …

It doesn’t look like retail cannabis businesses in the township will have the chance to expand their business to include “cannabis consumption areas.” There is no interest on the part of the Township Council to make the needed code changes to allow for the smoking parlors, Mayor Phil Kramer said on December 18. And Vince Dominach, the Township’s Economic Development …

ASKING FOR HELP – Shani Madaminova, co-owner of Leaf Haus dispensary, asked the Township Council to pass a cap on the number of dispensaries allowed in Franklin. Township Council approval of an ordinance that limits the number of cannabis retailers in the township – while grandfathering in a few more that haven’t moved beyond receiving their state licenses – comes …

POT TALK – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker talks about the proposed ordinance amendment limiting the number of cannabis retailers in the township to 18. The number of cannabis retailers in the township would be officially limited to 18 under an ordinance amendment introduced at the Township Council’s October 8 meeting. There is some leeway in that number, however. If a …