To help facilitate social change, the commission will give preference to cannabis business who apply for licenses in what the bill labels “impact zones,” which are defined as areas “for which past criminal marijuana enterprises contributed to higher concentrations of law enforcement activity, unemployment, and poverty.” An impact zone must have a population at least 120,000 people, a high crime index as measured by the State Police, an annual average unemployment rate of 15 percent, and rank in the top 33 percent for marijuana- or hashish-related arrests.
Based on data from the U.S. Census, Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth would qualify as impact zones under the bill. Other possible benefits for New Jersey’s cities include the creation of an Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development, which aims “to promote entrepreneurship” from socially and economically disadvantaged communities. Additionally, as many as 25 percent of the state’s cannabis licenses would be set aside for minorities who live in the state so that they can open micro-businesses in the industry.