The State of New Jersey joins the ranks of states that have legalized cannabis for recreational use.
Starting April 21, New Jersey residents and visitors to the state who are 21 years and older can purchase recreational cannabis and cannabis products at 13 dispensaries across New Jersey.
The 13 dispensaries have been open, serving patients in the stateʻs Medicinal Cannabis Program. But now, they will open their doors to the broader public.
“We expect 13 locations for the entire state will make for extremely busy stores,” Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, said. “The dispensaries have assured us that they are ready to meet the demand without disrupting patient access and with minimal impact on the surrounding communities, but patience will be key to a good opening day.”
The 13 dispensaries are Apothecarium in both Maplewood and Phillipsburg; Ascend Wellness in Rochelle Park; RISE in both Bloomfield and Paterson; Zen Leaf in both Elizabeth and Lawrence Township; The Botanist in both Egg Harbor Township and Williamstown; The Cannabist/Columbia Care in both Deptford and Vineland; and Curaleaf in both Bellmawr and Edgewater Park.
Recreational cannabis customers will be able to buy up to 1 ounce of dried flower; up to 5 grams of concentrates, resins, or oils; or 10 100mg packages of ingestible items in a single transaction.
“We encourage everyone to be safe – buy only from licensed dispensaries and start low and go slow. Remember that the laws against impaired driving apply to being high,” Brown said. “Our guests from neighboring states should remember it is illegal to transport cannabis across state lines.”
The dispensaries are required to put policies in place so that registrants in New Jersey’s Medicinal Cannabis Program do not have to wait in long lines or risk not getting their medicine. Facilities are expected to implement special lines or hours, online ordering, curbside pick-up, or home delivery to ensure patient access is uninterrupted.
The cannabis companies will be assessed on diversity in hiring and management, support for community programs, and the percentage of minority-owned vendors or suppliers with which they contract, among other things.
“We know that drug prohibition laws have through history disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities – and continue to do so,” Wesley McWhite III, NJ-CRC’s director of Diversity and Inclusion, said. “A socially equitable cannabis market will have substantial representation of those communities in employment and in ownership, and these companies that have been benefitting from the market for the past 12 years – and are now expanding into the lucrative recreational space – have a role in helping to accomplish that. Making the standards and the grades public ensures customers, stakeholders, advocates, and the general public have a clear picture of the equity and diversity efforts in the New Jersey market.”