At MJ’s Edibles (MJ’s Eds™), tasty cannabis is the cat’s meow. The New York-based brand recently emerged into public awareness, though its founder Nick has been in the legacy space for years.
What Is MJ’s Eds™? Award-Winning Cannabis Gummies
Enjoyed by Grammy-winning musical artists, and with dedicated fans like the minds behind Gotti, DeLisioso, and Empire Cannabis Clubs, MJ’s has earned their stripes, even winning Best Infused Candy Edible at the 2023 All Things Cannabis (ATC) Awards hosted by OMG Events. Each bag features drawings of the eponymous MJ, Nick’s rambunctious cat. Whether you’re trying the all-natural gummies line Flight Bites, or Hash Ninja, hash rosin gummies that combine classic recipes with solventless ice-water hash, you’ll see a delightful cat inviting you to soar above the clouds or offering you sliced fruit in samurai garb.
The real MJ is a tuxedo cat who was rescued from a box of abandoned kittens five years ago. Nick dubbed him MJ when he saw the feline jump up in a Michael Jordan-esque pose, movements that inspired the whole ethos of MJ’s Eds™. (Nick’s dog Buster, a rescue pitbull, is more of a “silent mascot,” but also an important team member.)
How Does MJ’s Eds™ Guarantee Quality In Their Gummies?
“We are for the progressive, functional cannabis consumer,” the owner explains. “Growing up, I was an athlete - baseball, hockey, wrestling, karate… I still dabble in jiu jitsu. I’m 31, and I still feel injuries from [high school]. Cannabis is what really helps me. We’re making something where when people are nursing their pain, they can do it right and it tastes good.”
Nick places high value on quality control and transparency, cooking all the edibles himself and ensuring that each batch contains exactly what will be printed on the label. The MJ’s website lists the ingredients in each product, plus recommendations for safe dosing and consumption.
“We go for quality,” the entrepreneur notes. “All-natural flavor, no dyes. We use beef gelatin… and tapioca syrup, which [are] healthier.”
Flight Bites provide 40 milligrams of THC per gummy, while Hash Ninja offers 10 milligrams apiece. MJ’s will soon release a 20-piece bag of the popular Flight Bites, so stay tuned.
Minor Cannabinoids Have Major Effects In MJ’s Eds™ Gummies: Health Benefits Of CBG And CBN
Most flavors are sativa-based, but Nick’s latest collection introduces minor cannabinoids. Specialized “daytime” or “nighttime” edibles have a combination of 30 milligrams THC, 5 milligrams CBD, and 5 milligrams CBG (for energy) or CBN (for sleep). These effect-focused products have been enormously well-received; the nighttime flavor Bedtime Blueberry was last year’s ATC award-winning entry. (Nighttime gummies also come in Goodnight Grape, while daytime options are Blissful Blue Raspberry and Pleasant Peach.)
“[The daytime gummies] are good if you have anxiety, if you want help focusing, if you have inflammation of any sort,” Nick says. “CBG is really good for your body... excellent for homeostasis.”
MJ’s Eds™ on display in various locations; "silent mascot" Buster the pitbull visits the display at Empire Cannabis Clubs (C) MJ’s Eds™
How Did MJ’s Eds™ Founder Nick Get Into Cannabis?
For Nick, finding homeostasis on all fronts has been a decades-long struggle. As a kid, his family held conservative views on cannabis.
“My mom hated weed,” he recalls. “I’ve been selling forever since high school. Once when I was 15, my mom caught me and I cried. I would rather have been caught by the police than her.”
But the enterprising youth refused to give up on the plant. By age 19, he got a job as a stockbroker with a small firm while attending community college. Over the years, he spent more time selling cannabis on the side. Randomly, a childhood acquaintance joined the firm who then started to function as one of his plugs. Nick quit stocks in 2015; when he was more reestablished in cannabis by 2017, that friend introduced him to the man who would eventually create the Gotti brand.
Adopting MJ the cat helped Nick realize where his passions lay. But he also credits the driving force that galvanized him to make MJ’s what it is today to his late friend Gus, who took his own life in July 2020 after struggling with depression.
“He always told me to make a brand,” Nick remembers. “When the brand was young, it was close to being scrapped. I’d done some other edibles in 2020 and 2021 that were okay but not as well executed. [Gus helped me] refocus and I feel he’s watching me proudly right now.”
Growing MJ’s Eds™ In New York's Cannabis Market
Nick moved to Florida in 2021 to build the business through networking, while keeping operations going in New York. After a year of being threatened repeatedly and robbed, he knew it was time to trade orange juice for the Big Apple again - especially after scoring a major partnership with Empire Cannabis Clubs.
“I stopped in at three different [Empire] locations to drop off my samples,” he states. However, a chance social media encounter provided the magic spark. Using an alternate account, Nick commented on one of Empire’s Instagram posts that “you need to check out MJ’s,” and the team DMed him. MJ’s has been available at several Empire locations ever since. “They’re really the reason why we started coming back [with New York consumers].”
Today, Nick is grateful for New York’s cannabis community. “This is how I contribute to society,” he concludes. “[The community] accepts me as a person... I’m bringing value and helping people.” His plans for the future include getting a New York license, opening an animal sanctuary and adoption center, and helping to end the stigma and free the plant.
With Nick’s vision, and MJ and Buster’s support, MJ’s Eds™ is on the road to purr-fection.
For more about MJ’s Eds™, visit mjseds.com or follow @mjseds on Instagram.
*A version of this article originally appeared on the cover of Honeysuckle's 18th print edition. Click here to order and choose your element - Fire with Bun B or Ice with Queen P!
