The Marijuana Act also contains provisions that would legalize and regulate weed delivery and public consumption spaces. Like California, Nevada and Oregon, licensed dispensaries could seek permission from the state to deliver cannabis products to their customers, one of the upsides of the current black market that legalization legislation hasn’t always addressed. Likewise, public consumption remains illegal in every state that has legalized so far, a provision which predominantly impacts people who live in public housing, where smoking is banned, and people of color, who are more likely to be targeted by police for marijuana violations. If S-2703 is passed, New Jersey would be one of the few states to mitigate the restriction by allowing licensed marijuana dispensaries to apply for permission to open a separate social consumption space on the same premises. Social consumption spaces, like bars, are designated and sanctioned explicitly for legal public use.
One of the key updates to this version of the bill, according to NJ.com, is there is no longer a cap on the number of businesses that could participate in the state’s legal weed industry. Deciding which businesses should get a license will be left up to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, a a five-person committee “appointed by the governor, three with Senate consent, one with the consent of the Senate president and one with consent from the Assembly speaker,” according to NJ.com. While the bill provides the framework for the state’s legal marijuana industry, the Commission would be tasked with setting more specific parameters, as well as oversight.