Curaleaf to Close NJ Cannabis Cultivation Facility, Resulting in Layoffs

LOS ANGELES– Curaleaf, a cannabis giant based in Massachusetts, has announced that it will close its cannabis cultivation facility in Bellmawr, New Jersey. The closure will reportedly result in the loss of up to 40 jobs. The company’s grow operation in Bellmawr is one of its two locations in New Jersey. However, the two operations will be consolidated into its Winslow facility to cut costs and streamline production.

Curaleaf stated that it is phasing out cultivation at the Bellmawr location to meet current business needs and will use the facility for other operations in the meantime. The company plans to consolidate the production of key product platforms with its Winslow facility, which has the capacity to support New Jersey’s overall market demand.

The company has laid off workers previously, including shedding 220 workers in Massachusetts last year and laying off 50 employees in California after closing a cultivation facility in August. Although it’s uncertain how many workers will lose their jobs at Bellmawr, a representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers union has spoken to around 40 concerned employees.

Workers at the Bellmawr grow operation were attempting to unionize with the UFCW. The union has filed a formal complaint about Curaleaf with the National Labor Relations Board after management allegedly interfered with the unionization efforts. The UFCW representative suspects the layoffs are in response to unionization attempts, but a Curaleaf spokeswoman has denied that claim.

Curaleaf has about 5,500 staff across the US and has a presence in 19 states. The company has stated that it values the dedication of the Bellmawr team and will work to identify other opportunities within its overall operations for impacted team members. The changes will not affect the dispensary in Bellmawr, which will continue to serve both medical patients and adult-use customers.