New Jersey’s hookah king took a risk by diving into cannabis. As a returning citizen, he cashed in on the state’s equity campaign for cannabis business ventures. Now, one of the few, fully Black-owned dispensaries in the state, and with some already folding, he endures to keep his doors open and the green leaves flowing. It’s taking more than elbow grease and prayers; it is a full-on jostle.
Days before the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s (NJ-CRC) inspection, Shawn Henry carefully adjusts rolling papers in a spit-shine vitrine. He turns to eye a slightly tilted Basquiat-inspired portraiture by award-winning polymath Halim A. Flowers, then angles the painting for perfect alignment.
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