A new medical cannabis dispensary is opening in Somerset County. Located at 407 U.S. 202 in Raritan, Valley Wellness will open its doors Friday, according to a Thursday announcement from Sarah Trent, founder and CEO of the dispensary.
Since New Jersey residents voted for legalization in 2010, medical patients in the area have had to travel quite a distance to access medical cannabis. Valley Wellness had the highest-scoring dispensary application in the state dating back to 2019 and is now one of the first stand-alone dispensary operators to open in the state — expanding access for patients in Somerset County and beyond.
“We are pleased to be able to provide those who seek relief through cannabis a place much closer to home,” Trent stated.
Trent is born and raised in New Jersey and applied for a permit to open a cannabis dispensary in 2019. Valley Wellness was awarded a provisional permit from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission of New Jersey in December 2021. Since that time, work began on converting 2,500 square feet of existing space in the building occupied by longtime appliance retailer, Uneeda Appliance. Valley Wellness exists as one of very few independent, non-multistate dispensaries in New Jersey.
Valley Wellness vows to provide both breadth and depth of products available in its various forms — flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, lotions and tinctures — to its customers.
“Our trained staff are ready to share their knowledge and experience of the strains we carry with patients,” Trent said. Valley Wellness also has a pharmacist on staff to assist patients, by appointment, with questions on ingestion methods and dosing as well as understanding the various properties associated with various strains carried by Valley Wellness.
Trent, an attorney and former public defender, is also the founder of NJ Cannabis Certified, a 15-hour educational certificate program taught in conjunction with eight New Jersey community colleges.
“I have been committed to helping create an educated workforce and promoting the responsible use of cannabis in New Jersey,” Trent said.
Over 1,000 students have graduated from this course.
