Though Impact Zones and Economically Disadvantaged Areas were codified through legislation, and are based on various factors including unemployment rates, the number of previous marijuana arrests, median income, and uninsured rates, their official recognition by the CRC is particularly meaningful, Shaya Brodchandel, CEO of Harmony Dispensary said.
“The push for the legalization of recreational use cannabis in New Jersey was based on the ideal of social equity and belief that through the growth of this industry some of the wrongs of the past, those that put certain communities at a disadvantage when it came to meeting their potential, could be made right,” Brodchandel said.
Brodchandel, who also heads the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA), added that as the applications begin to be submitted and considered it is critical that regulators make good on promises to ensure that the benefits of legalization, including jobs creation and revenue generation, really do go to the communities that need the support most.