New Jersey’s plan to expand the medical marijuana business in the state has drawn 146 applications from would-be providers, more than 24 times the number of new dispensaries expected to open.
Seven months after Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, took office, the number of residents on the medical marijuana patient registry has doubled to 30,000, according to Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal. Murphy expanded the list of medical conditions eligible for marijuana treatment, leading to the higher enrollment, and he increased New Jersey’s target for dispensaries to as many as 12 from six.