NJ to Introduce New Bill Detailing the Latest Marijuana Industry Happenings
With about 65% of New Jersey voters voting in favor of legal use of recreational marijuana1 to customers 21 and over, the Garden State is set to join the 11 additional states that have legalized cannabis.
On Friday, November 6th, State Senator Nicholas Scutari introduced a bill2 outlining how this new cannabis industry will function. This bill largely pulled from the 2019 bill that failed to pass due to lack of support. Scutari is hopeful that the bill will pass through both the full Senate and Assembly by November 16th.
This new 206 page bill introduces a new major change for medicinal marijuana license holders. Current law limits these licensees to operating one location for cultivation but with this new bill, they will be able to add two more cultivation sites for additional marijuana growth to help meet future supply demands. With this new addition to the bill, lawmakers are expecting to get the recreational market up and running quickly without impacting the 95,000 current New Jersey resident medical marijuana users.
Following the authorization of legal use recreational marijuana, Governor Phil Murphy has named two appointees to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission3. This commission will work to oversee the new legal marijuana industry, the existing medical marijuana program, as well as the new potential marijuana consumers.
Unlike the existing medical marijuana program set in place, this new commission will not limit the number of licenses the commission can issue for wholesalers, retailers, etc. This will mark major change due to the existing medical marijuana program being extremely limited on license distribution, with only 12 companies legally allowed to operate4.
Additionally, this legislation wasn’t the only bill discussed following the passing of the ballot’s legalization question. Governor Phil Murphy is looking into passing a bill that decriminalizes possession of up to six ounces of marijuana5. This will be discussed further during the hearings this coming week.
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- https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2020/11/election-2020-nj-voters-approve-legal-weed-ballot-question.html
- https://files.constantcontact.com/5fec8eef701/60be30ba-be8c-4a47-908f-24d878c26c45.pdf
- https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2020/11/legal-weed-now-approved-murphy-names-picks-for-commission-to-oversee-nj-marijuana-industry.html
- https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2020/04/12th-nj-medical-weed-dispensary-issued-permit-to-grow-as-patients-still-wait-on-4-others-to-open.html
- https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2020/11/you-would-be-able-to-possess-up-to-6-ounces-of-weed-in-nj-under-decriminalization-bill.html
