The Medicine Woman marijuana dispensary in Jersey City, co-owned by rapper and actor Ice-T, has closed after less than a year in operation, but its story reflects the growing pains (and promise) of New Jersey’s evolving cannabis industry. The dispensary opened in April 2025, following years of planning after legalization, with Ice-T attending the grand opening and expressing pride in bringing a minority-owned, community-focused business to his home state.
While increased competition across New Jersey’s rapidly expanding cannabis market ultimately made it difficult for the location to remain open, The Medicine Woman stood out for its commitment to local hiring, New Jersey-based cannabis brands, and partnerships with community organizations such as The Last Prisoner Project and Hudson County Community College. These efforts reinforced the brand’s mission of social responsibility, education, and access to quality cannabis products.
It is not the first celebrity-owned cannabis-based business to go out of business in recent months. Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon closed his Newark cannabis dispensary, Hashstoria, in 2025 after operating for less than a year. During its planning phase, the business was envisioned as an adult-use cannabis retailer with long-term goals of growing into a community-centered destination, including a premier consumption lounge and wellness center focused on promoting health, education, and community empowerment.
Despite the closure, the Medicine Woman brand continues to thrive beyond New Jersey. Its flagship store in Bellflower, California, founded by Charis Burrett, remains open and successful, carrying forward the company’s original mission of “providing safe, affordable, and high-quality plant-based remedies.”
While no reason was given for the closure, many noted that the dispensary was inconveniently located on a street crowded with more prominent and more easily accessible dispensaries.