When do marijuana sales start in New Jersey? What’s next after another delay?

Through Jelena Martinovic

It appears that New Jersey residents will have to wait a little longer to buy recreational cannabis as the state’s emerging industry regulator accepted applications from eight medical cannabis operators — known as alternative treatment centers — all owned by MSOs are – has declined to start adult sales.

Curaleaf Holdings founder and chairman Boris Jordan was one of many disappointed cannabis entrepreneurs who didn’t take the news well.

Photo via Getty/StockstudioX

“Frustrating day in NJ – once again the goal posts have been moved and the will of the people and the governor is being ignored! We will continue to fight for what New Jersey voters decided – a safe and regulated adult cannabis marketplace,” Jordan said in a recent tweet.

Frustrating day in NJ – once again the goalposts have been moved and the will of the people and the governor is being ignored! We will continue to fight for what New Jersey voters decided – a safe and regulated adult cannabis marketplace! #msogang

— Boris Jordan (@Boris_Jordan) March 24, 2022

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission made the decision, arguing that cannabis operators in the state as a whole do not have the capacity to serve the current medical market.

After its lunchtime session, the state regulator called a special session for April 11 to revisit the issue.

Leisure sales are scheduled to start by mid-May

Cantor Fitzgerald’s Pablo Zuanic said recreational sales in the Garden State could start in mid-May despite this setback.

“In practice, the CRC has only two weeks to review the capacity and ability of operators to serve the medical market,” the analyst said in his most recent statement. “Due to what is likely to be significant political pressure and lobbying, we believe some incumbents (not all) will get the green light on April 11.”

RELATED: New Jersey governor says legal weed sales could begin within weeks

CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown stated: “Our goal is to work with industry, and industry to work with us, so that at the next CRC meeting we have a cohort of ATCs that are turnkey to address this market here introduce, only pending the vote of this commission,” reported NJ Advance Media.

“If there are still none, hopefully they are ready for conditional approval pending certain timelines and regulatory milestones that we can work to complete.”

Photo by Add Weed via Unsplash

“Without having all the facts, it appears that the CRC would like to delay the rec lead for established medical professionals to fill the gap as new social justice applicants begin their practice,” he added.

Anyhow, New Jersey is still on track to beat Massachusetts in launching the recreational marijuana market after voters approved it at the ballot box in November 2020, the analyst noted.

Conditional Licenses

Separately, the commission unanimously awarded the first 68 conditional licenses to growers and producers of cannabis for adult use, including 50 breeders and 18 producers, Politico reported.

Zuanic said these companies will not be ready to supply the market until the first half of 2023.

“If the newly approved licensees submit their application by March 31 and are approved by April 31, the only thing preventing them from starting construction and receiving local permits would be,” the analyst added.