Demand for retail cannabis licenses in the city exceeds the supply, and New Brunswick is in the process of weeding through the applications now that the deadline to submit one has passed.
There were seven applications seeking the only cannabis license for New Brunswick’s Easton Avenue corridor, where Rutgers students tend to live, shop and dine, said Dan Dominguez, the director of the city’s department of planning, community and economic development.
Five more applications were made for the two cannabis licenses in the city’s downtown area, he said.
Municipalities across the state had an Aug. 21 deadline to decide whether they would welcome or block future legal cannabis businesses. The deadline was created after Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law on Feb. 22 to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults in New Jersey, as well as allow for the cultivation, processing and sale of retail marijuana.
Many municipalities, like New Brunswick, have opted to take advantage of their ability to regulate and restrict where cannabis businesses, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and deliverers could set up shop within their town limits