The Murphy administration is seeking applicants to operate up to 108 medical marijuana treatment businesses statewide, officials said Monday, in a bid to expand the program from its current number of six.
The New Jersey Department of Health said it would look for cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries statewide.
"We are at a point where patients just cannot wait any longer for easily accessible, affordable therapy," New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in a statement.
The details were introduced as the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act nears final approval in the Legislature.
It would mark a massive expansion in the medical marijuana program, even though it falls short of Gov. Phil Murphy's goal of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults.
The Honig Act would revamp nearly aspect of the medical marijuana process, from qualifying for the program to actually purchasing cannabis. Murphy's actions don't address other parts of the bill.