After New Jersey’s largest weed supplier, Curaleaf, was banned by state regulators from selling recreational cannabis in April, the company enlisted a former New Jersey attorney general to fight the order.
Chris Porrino, a state attorney general under Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, immediately appealed the decision in the company’s bid to keep its ability to sell recreational cannabis.
One business day after the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission took a vote that would have taken away Curaleaf’s license to sell recreational weed at two of its three dispensaries as of April 21, it abruptly scheduled a special meeting to reverse that decision.
The about-face was made after the cannabis commission received legal counsel from state Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision who requested anonymity because they didn’t have permission to speak about it. The commission took a recess in May, but will reconvene on Thursday for its next regular monthly meeting. Curaleaf is not listed on the agenda but other annual license renewals are on deck for approval.
The speed of the reversal on Curaleaf stood out compared to how other cannabis business applicants move through the administrative process, said Michael Hoffman, a cannabis lawyer who has built a reputation for doing free cannabis expungement clinics across the state.