New Jersey residents hoping to buy marijuana at a dispensary without a medical card will have to wait a little longer. New Jersey cannabis regulators approved the first batch of businesses that will make up the state’s adult-use cannabis industry on Thursday, a cohort of 68 marijuana growers and manufacturers. But officials decided that the state’s medical marijuana companies are not quite ready to start selling their wares to the general public. Growers and manufacturers were picked as the first recipients of the 68 licenses to help boost production and expedite the launch of the recreational market. And in response to questions about its commitment to promoting equity in the legal cannabis industry, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission released a breakdown of the ownership of these firms that are receiving conditional approval. State officials have been under pressure to open up the recreational market in New Jersey since missing the original Feb. 22 deadline. But the state didn’t begin accepting applications for retail licenses until March 15th. That means it can either wait to sift through those applicants or allow existing medical marijuana companies, which already grow their own cannabis and operate dispensaries, to kick off recreational sales.
Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 03/24/2022 23:21:17