Will There Be a Craft Marijuana Industry in New Jersey?
With adult-use marijuana being recently legalized in New Jersey and New York, the same industry idea that was kicked around to encourage microbreweries to open has been incorporated into the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA) for cannabis “microbusinesses” to open.
So, what is a cannabis “microbusiness”?
Under CREAMMA, a microbusiness is a person or entity licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) as a marijuana cultivator (aka grower), manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer, or delivery service that may only, with respect to its industry business operations, and capacity and quantity of product:
- Employ no more than ten employees
- Operate a cannabis establishment occupying no more than 2,500 square feet, and in the case of a cannabis cultivator, grow on an area no larger than 2,500 square feet measured on a horizontal plane and grow above that plane no higher than 24 feet
- Possess no more than 1,000 cannabis plants each month, except that a distributor’s possession of plants for transportation shall not be subject to this limit
- For manufacturers, acquire each month no more than 1,000 pounds of usable cannabis
- For wholesalers, acquire each month no more than 1,000 pounds of usable cannabis, or the equivalent amount in any form of manufactured cannabis product or cannabis resin, or any combination thereof
- For retailers, acquire for retail sale each month no more than 1,000 pounds of usable cannabis, or the equivalent amount in any form of manufactured cannabis product or cannabis resin, or any combination thereof