Our New Jersey cannabis industry working group is comprised of representatives from all twelve of the permitted and pending Alternative Treatment Centers in the New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program. Although we are at varying stages of operations, and we have individual business priorities that establish competition among us, we see great value in working together to achieve certain mutual policy goals on behalf of the over 70,000 medical cannabis patients that we serve.
As we are collectively faced by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are coordinating daily with each other and with the Division of Medicinal Marijuana, under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Health Jeff Brown, to ensure the health and safety of our patients, our employees, and the general public. We understand the panic and distress that this pandemic has generated, and we assure you that we are doing everything that we can to provide our patients with the medical cannabis they rely on while implementing social distancing measures and augmenting our hygiene and sanitation practices.
We are grateful that Governor Murphy has designated Alternative Treatment Centers to be essential businesses so that we can remain open to serve the needs of our patients. Many of us have operations in other states, and New Jersey has been exemplary in its proactive communications and timely guidance. While many of our colleagues outside of New Jersey are fighting to remain open through an essential business designation, we have been able to focus on meeting patient need without the fear of closure.