Former Mayor, Assemblyman Opens New Jersey Dispensary

Riverside Township, New Jersey

Former Medford, New Jersey mayor and former New Jersey General Assemblyman Scott Rudder is opening a dispensary in Riverside in his home state. Riverside, a suburb in the greater Philadelphia-Camden area, is a prime location for growth in the cannabis sector.

Rudder, who is Republican, founded the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association in 2016, a leading cannabis trade industry association. He’s also a veteran and helped organize and was a top consultant to statewide campaigns to legalize adult-use cannabis in New Jersey in 2020, and also that year, NJ.com named Rudder the “Mayor of Cannabis.” 

The reasoning behind the opening of this retail location is to help revitalize and bring more foot traffic to Riverside’s downtown business district. It will also provide about 20 jobs, with the majority of them being given to local residents, some of whom can walk to work. 

Last year, Rudder spoke to Insider NJ and said that about 70% of New Jersey towns have opted out of allowing cannabis businesses in their communities. However, he added, “that makes those remaining 30% very competitive.” He pushed to expand the state’s cannabis sector forward. “Although more and more people are picking up cannabis and putting down alcohol,” Rudder continued, “a lot of people still feel very closeted about it, which surprises me. … Some towns are a little slow getting to the mark. But some towns are also looking to opt back in [to having cannabis businesses], due to the tax benefits and job creation. I’m a former mayor, father of three. I understand those concerns.”

With his new dispensary, he hopes to continue to take part in the growth of the state’s cannabis sector. It involves people who are respected in the community. Township Green’s Chief of Security, for instance, is the retired Riverside Chief of Police and several of the security personnel for the dispensary are local firefighters.

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