Legal recreational marijuana sales are finally expected to start, a year and a half after New Jersey residents voted to legalize cannabis.
The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) has granted seven medical marijuana companies the ability to start selling in a matter of weeks. Those locations, also known as Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC), will be the first to sell recreational cannabis to adults 21 and older. After passing operational inspections, paying a $1 million dollar expansion fee, and receiving new licenses, the locations will be able to cultivate cannabis, manufacture cannabis products, and conduct retail sales to the public in 13 dispensaries across the state.
The chair of the Commission, Dianna Houenou, reiterated that patient access and public safety remains top priority.
“These approvals were given based on commitments from the ATCs that we would not see adverse effects with expansion,” Houenou said in a statement. “Expansion into the adult-use market - with a substantial advantageous start ahead of new applicants – is a privilege that must not be taken lightly."