New Jersey opens public comment period for proposed changes to cannabis regulations

New Jersey residents have an opportunity to provide input on upcoming updates to adult cannabis regulations — contributions that officials say can have a real impact on the outcome of the final regulations.

Public comment on proposed updates to New Jersey adult cannabis market rules is now open to the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC). New Jersey residents have until September 30 to make contributions.

The proposed rule changes, contained in a 325-page document, will see changes to supply, distribution and wholesale licensing procedures. The proposed changes also concern information on safe use, waste disposal and advertising and promotions.

WHYY reports that under the proposed rule changes, cannabis retailers and delivery services would be able to sell or ship no more than one ounce of usable cannabis, five grams of solid cannabis concentrate, or five milliliters of cannabis oil. Retailers may also not be able to sell vape formulations with more than five milliliters of cannabis oil, ingestible cannabis products with more than 1,000 milligrams of THC, or more than one ounce of any combination of usable cannabis and cannabis products.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement, Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, also known as the CREAMM Act, was passed on December 27, 2020. New Jersey is one of 18 states legalizing adult-use cannabis.

The CREAMM Act empowers the CRC to expand the existing medicinal cannabis program and to develop, regulate and enforce rules and activities for adult use. The public comment period will provide insight into the open questions that may arise.

“The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has submitted updated rules for the state’s personal use cannabis market for public comment,” CRC said in a press release. “New Jersey residents are invited to provide feedback on the proposed rules by Friday, September 30, 2022.”

“The rules, amending the original regulations adopted by the NJ-CRC in August 2021, establish licensing directions for cannabis wholesale, distribution and supply businesses. They also clarify the workspace for micro-enterprises to exclude bathroom square footage, enshrine the adopted universal symbol, and simplify cannabinoid labeling requirements to ensure consumers can make informed choices.”

The CREAMM Act requires the CRC Rules of 2021 to be adopted, amended or re-adopted prior to an expiry date that occurs on August 19, 2022. However, a notice of the proposed new option extended the expiration date to February 15, 2023. Public submissions during the 60-day comment period may actually affect the rules as currently written.

New Jersey 101.5 reports that some of the new changes include reformulated classes of licenses for supply and manufacture operations. Local attorney Todd Polyniak of Parsippany-based Sax LLP provided some insight.

“You can go from cultivation to manufacturing to wholesale to distribution and finally to retail sale or delivery to an end customer,” Polyniak said.

He said problems remain, such as B. Social equity startups that have little time to convert a conditional license to an annual license.

“I think the state has yet to somehow push through to fund these startups, especially the social equity startups,” Polyniak said. “You have 120 days plus 45 days to actually execute this conditional license and convert it to an annual license. So that’s not a lot of time to get everything done.”

The full language of the rules and the link to register to provide feedback are available on the website. Residents wishing to comment can register through the CRC’s website.