By Joshua Burd
Sales of adult use recreational marijuana in New Jersey are slated to begin in less than a week after state officials approved the expansion of several existing medical dispensaries.
The state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it would issue licenses to seven alternative treatment centers allowing them to sell recreational cannabis starting April 21. That expansion will take place at 13 retail dispensaries across New Jersey, where individuals 21 years and older will be able to purchase cannabis products legally without a medical card.
The commission this week also granted another 34 conditional license applications for cultivators and manufacturers, following the approval of 68 such licenses late last month, paving the way for what will be demand across multiple asset classes within commercial real estate.
“This is an exciting time for New Jersey,” said Jeff Brown, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s executive director. “New Jerseyans voted overwhelmingly to have access to adult-use cannabis and it is now here. I am very proud of the work the commission has done over the past year to open the market. We have been intentional and deliberate to do everything in our power to set the market on good footing to start.”
The CRC has worked to launch recreational sales and establish an industry framework since Gov. Phil Murphy, largely with social justice reform in mind, signed a law in February 2021 to legalize adult use and advance a policy that voters also supported in a November 2020 ballot question. Allowing existing medical marijuana operators the first chance to expand into adult use was a key piece of the legislation.
The commission said it would post a list of locations that will open on April 21 as they confirm the date on which they will begin operations. As the state noted, medicinal cannabis companies that have been approved to open the recreational market will be assessed on diversity in hiring and management, support for community programs, the number of new and local businesses to which they provide technical support and the percentage of minority-owned vendors or suppliers with which they contract, among other things.
“We remain committed to social equity,” said Dianna Houenou, the commission’s chair. “We promised to build this market on the pillars of social equity and safety. Ultimately, we hope to see businesses and a workforce that reflect the diversity of the state, and local communities that are positively impacted by this new and growing industry.”
Scores for each dispensary will be posted and updated regularly on the CRC’s website.
“We know that drug prohibition laws have through history disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities — and continue to do so,” said Wesley McWhite III, the CRC’s director of diversity and inclusion, who will be responsible for ensuring that the alternative treatment centers licensed for recreational use comply with the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act.
“A socially equitable cannabis market will have substantial representation of those communities in employment and in ownership and these companies that have been benefitting from the market for the past 12 years — and are now expanding into the lucrative recreational space — have a role in helping to accomplish that. Making the standards and the grades public ensures customers, stakeholders, advocates, and the general public have a clear picture of the equity and diversity efforts in the New Jersey market.”
New Jersey legalizes cannabis in long-awaited move with social justice, economic impacts
