At least for a while, the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association avoided criticizing the sate Cannabis Regulatory Commission as New Jersey’s legal weed industry took its first steps.
That restraint appears to be over. The trade group, whose members often describe it as the chamber of commerce of cannabis, issued a report this month blaming the state commission for the slow growth of the industry and comparing New Jersey unfavorably to other states with legal cannabis for adults.
Officials say legal cannabis sales in New Jersey could soon be a billion-dollar industry. But current sales are not there yet. The business organization blames regulators.
The NJCTA report accuses the state commission of moving too slowly on approvals and not doing enough to address the continued black market sales, what many in the cannabis field describe as the “legacy market.”