New Jersey Tech, Business, & Creative Resources
Five years ago, Kyle Page was sitting inside a cell at a maximum-security prison, serving a lengthy sentence for non-violent cannabis distribution charges. Today, he stands at the helm of a sprawling, 4,000-square-foot adult-use cannabis dispensary known as East Coasting, located right on Route 35 in Eatontown, New Jersey.
Page’s transition from an incarcerated individual to a licensed business owner represents a major milestone for New Jersey’s expanding social equity infrastructure, illustrating how the state is attempting to correct the historical harms of cannabis prohibition.
From Prohibition to Ownership
Page’s history with the legal system mirrors the disproportionate impact of the War on Drugs on minority communities. Statistically, Black individuals in New Jersey were historically 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white individuals, despite similar usage rates.
At just 18 years old, Page was arrested in 1997 for possessing small amounts of cannabis, resulting in a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. After his release, he relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where he entered the legal cannabis workforce as a cultivation laborer for an operator running licensed farms in California.
However, the line between evolving legal frameworks and the legacy market caught up with Page. Following his involvement in an interstate legacy distribution operation, he was sentenced to 82 months in federal prison. It wasn’t until December 2021 that Page received executive clemency from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly—a hard-won victory facilitated by the Last Prisoner Project (LPP), a nonprofit dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform.
“When I was released from prison, this is the farthest thing from my mind,” Page reflects. “This was just a fantasy that I used to talk about with my cellmate.”
Leveraging Corporate Frameworks for Restorative Justice
Upon returning to New Jersey, Page connected with Chirali Patel, founder of Blaze Law Firm and the advocacy platform Blaze Responsibly. Patel bridged the gap between Page and Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. (AWH), a multi-state operator (MSO) with a significant footprint across seven states. Page joined Ascend through an initiative focused on hiring returning citizens, starting as an entry-level cultivation associate and working his way up to a supervisory role.
This professional trajectory culminated in April 2026, when Ascend formally partnered with Page to launch East Coasting under its CO-LAB for Social Equity program. Under this structural blueprint, East Coasting operates as an independent business entity owned and operated by Page, while Ascend delivers back-end operational support, corporate training, and capital resources (Corporate Multi-State Operator: Ascend Wellness Holdings).
Kyle’s story reflects both the harm caused by prohibition and the promise of a more equitable cannabis industry,” said Danielle Drummond, Vice President of Social Equity for Ascend Wellness Holdings.
The corporate architecture supporting East Coasting was made possible by New Jersey’s evolving legislative landscape. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) has enacted specific regulatory protections allowing minority-, women-, and disabled veteran-owned cannabis enterprises to secure outside capital and technical expertise from major MSOs without relinquishing operational control or majority equity stakes.
Crucially, the law mandates strict terms preventing predatory investors from seizing ownership in the event of a financial default, preserving the state’s mandate that at least 25% of licenses be allocated to social equity applicants.
Inside East Coasting
Architecturally, the Eatontown dispensary departs from the clinical, Apple-store aesthetic typical of early-generation dispensaries. The layout draws heavily from Page’s roots in 1990s street skateboarding culture, featuring an in-store halfpipe and vintage design cues.
The launch has expanded the regional labor ecosystem, adding 22 active employees to the local workforce. Beyond retail operations, Page remains an ambassador for the Last Prisoner Project, using his platform to run expungement clinics and advocate for broader economic inclusion. His journey was also the focal point of the 2025 award-winning documentary, Bar None: Cannabis Redemption, directed by filmmaker Howard Ellis.
East Coasting marks Ascend’s second major social equity partnership in the Garden State, following the launch of the Mister Jones dispensary alongside advocate Leandra Jones in Little Falls. The company also maintains corporate-branded retail locations in Fort Lee, Rochelle Park, and Wharton, capturing a significant share of New Jersey’s rapidly growing cannabis market, which surpassed $1 billion in annual sales.
