New Jersey's 3rd medical marijuana dispensary opens in Woodbridge

Marijuana plants in the second floor "grow room" inside the sprawling Garden State Dispensary, New Jersey's third medical marijuana dispensary, which opened in December. The state Health Department announced a second facility in central Jersey has been given a permit to begin growing plants. Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center will be located in an industrial park in Cranbury.

(Andy Mills | New Jersey Advance Media)

TRENTON — A new medical marijuana dispensary — New Jersey's fourth — has earned a permit to begin growing cannabis in Cranbury, the state Health Department announced.

It’s been about 3-1/2 years since the state granted Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center permission to submit an application and undergo a vetting process that includes background checks, building and security plans, according to an announcement from Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd.

“Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center is the second ATC in the central region of the state to receive a permit to grow medicinal marijuana,” O’Dowd said. “Today's action demonstrates the Department's ongoing commitment to provide greater access to medicinal marijuana for qualifying patients."

Jonathan Fisher, one of Breakwater’s trustees, said he expected it would take about six months before sales would begin to allow for the growing, cultivating and testing process.

Fisher said Breakwater will offer 15 strains, including some with high level of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound that has become popular among families whose children suffer from epilepsy disorders.

The 20,000-square-foot facility is located within an industrial park, Fisher said. Once up and running, he expected possibly “dozens” of employees to be hired.

The facility is prepared to serve "as many patients as needed," Fisher said.

Fisher acknowledged it had taken a long time to get to this point. "The state had a lot of proper hurdles, a lot of things you have to fulfill," he said.

Garden State Dispensary of Woodbridge opened 11 months ago. Greenleaf Compassion Center of Montclair opened in December 2012, and Compassionate Care Foundation of Egg Harbor opened in October 2013.

There are 3,400 registered patients in New Jersey, and 364 physicians who have registered to recommend patients for the program, according to the department.

The state awarded six nonprofits with preliminary approval in March 2011 to serve as the only sanctioned medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey. The program has been slow to ramp for various reasons, including difficulties finding a community willing to host a dispensary, obtaining start-up funds to support a business that violates federal law, and what some dispensary owners have described as a confusing and cumbersome approval process by the state.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.