Published on August 2nd, 2022.

Legendary rapper and actor Ice T received approval from New Jersey regulators to operate a cannabis dispensary in partnership with longtime friend and cannabis expert Charis B, the founder of the California cannabis brand The Medicine Woman, the company announced on Thursday. The new enterprise was recently approved by the Jersey City Cannabis Control Board, which establishes and enforces the rules and regulations for the cultivation, testing and marketing of cannabis in the municipality. Expected to open later this year, the new The Medicine Woman dispensary will consist of 5,000 square feet of retail space featuring limited edition merchandise and products from New Jersey’s most popular cannabis brands.

Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known as the Grammy Award-winning rapper Ice T, is a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey, a community about nine miles up the Hudson River from Jersey City. As a Black man living in the state, Ice T is well aware that Blacks in New Jersey are three times more likely to be arrested for a marijuana offense than white people. With the Garden State creating its infrastructure for recreational marijuana, which was legalized by lawmakers last year, it gives new opportunities to communities of color that have borne the brunt of cannabis prohibition policies.

“I’ve dedicated my life and career to giving back and paving the way for minorities. As a New Jersey native, I’m excited for the opportunity legalization offers our community, and I look forward to ushering in a new era for cannabis in the state,” Ice T said in a statement. “I’ve partnered with my friend of over 25 years, Charis B who is an authority in cannabis and founder of The Medicine Woman to ensure a premium experience for our customers and community.”

Ice T Partners With Cannabis Brand Founder And Former Playmate

Charis B, aka Charis Burrett, is the February 2003 Playboy Playmate and the founder of The Medicine Woman, a cannabis brand licensed to operate in California’s competitive recreational marijuana market. With her brand now established in the Golden State, she has set her sights on expanding the brand to the East Coast.

“The Medicine Woman started as a California non-profit delivery service, giving back to our community has and will always be a priority to us. We are passionately devoted to providing access to safe, affordable and quality plant medicinal remedies,” said Burrett. “Partnering with Ice T to bring The Medicine Woman to New Jersey is a meaningful extension of our mission, to provide Nothing But The Best.”

Burrett founded the brand in 2015 with her husband Luke Burrett. The Medicine Woman Jersey City has expressed a commitment to hiring from the local community and has partnered with several local and national charitable organizations including The Last Prisoner Project, Jersey City Mural and Arts Program, Jersey City Employment and Training Program and Hudson County Community College. The new Jersey City location is slated to open in the fall of 2022 and is currently accepting applications for employment in a variety of positions.

“It’s super, super exciting for us because New Jersey is many years behind where we are in California in terms of legalization,” Charis Burrett said in an interview with High Times. “And it’s exciting to bring it to a state that is really [motivated] and looking forward to the growth of the cannabis industry in general in their state.”

“And in terms of New Jersey and the fact that, you know, Ice is a resident, so Jersey City and the state of New Jersey means so much to him personally,” she added. “And he is a long-time personal friend of my husband and myself. And, you know, obviously, this synergy and everything coming together.”

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