Regarding the marijuana legalization timeline: New Jersey is a step closer to legal weed after the compromise reached between Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney. If marijuana is legalized, this deal would overhaul the proposed taxing system for marijuana and give Murphy greater control over the proposed Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
If the current version of the bill is backed by lawmakers and signed into law, the CRC would have six months to craft and issue its regulations — essentially, the rulebook for the New Jersey cannabis industry. When those regulations are issued, the CRC must set a date for retail marijuana sales to begin within six months.
So, if Murphy were to sign a bill on March 1, the "rules" would be issued by or before Aug. 28 and legal weed sales would begin by or before Feb. 24, 2020.
"I think the best-case scenario is you're going to have marijuana actually available legally, ehh, January," Sweeney told reporters on Thursday. "That's the fastest you're going to get it."
In addition to finalizing the legal weed bill, legislators still need to ensure there's enough "yes" votes in the Senate and Assembly to pass it.
As for growers' licenses, the aforementioned Cannabis Regulatory Commission will be in charge of accepting applications and issuing them, including licenses for "microbusinesses," small businesses with few employees that operate on a limited scale.